Two legs, two wins, and a place within the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League for the primary time since 2009. Five objectives scored, only one conceded and Real Madrid, European royalty, silenced.
This was the approaching of age for Arsenal, performed out in excessive definition with the world watching in awe.
Real has proven structural weaknesses all through the season, however the irregular urgent and gaping holes within the midfield had been masked by moments of particular person brilliance from an array of stars: from Antonio Rudiger on the again to Kylian Mbappe up entrance through Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior.
But when Mikel Arteta’s males got here in all weapons blazing, Real had no reply and was left second-guessing the whole lot, even in its personal yard.
And but, a week in the past, this was anticipated to be a contest between mismatched groups, not on the pitch however in phrases of expertise. It was pipped as a contest between a group of gamers preventing in opposition to the percentages for its first main trophy versus one the place successful titles has turn into second nature.
In the tip, one group performed prefer it was in a pursuit of numbers whereas the opposite confirmed that the larger pleasure was in pursuing recollections. And for Arteta, that is a legacy-minting train, probably the most putting chapter in his Arsenal genesis a little greater than 5 years in the past.
A home title right here and there has barely held again followers’ need for Premier League and European glory. Arsenal got here shut a number of occasions, however it all the time remained the bridesmaid, by no means the bride.
While success within the league may need to attend one other yr, there might but be unheralded pleasure on the continental degree.
London’s midfield maestro
In 9 seasons as a skilled footballer, throughout 338 matches for Arsenal and West Ham and 64 for England, Declan Rice had by no means discovered the again of the web from a free kick. Against Real on the Emirates, he broke the duck. And like a magician repeating a trick for good measure to a spellbound viewers, he did it once more 12 minutes later.
Rice had determined to defy Arsenal set-piece coach Nico Jover’s requires a cross as a result of, even within the warmth of the second, he calculated all potentialities and found out which transfer had the utmost xG. Or so he made it sound.
“Originally, we were gonna cross it, like reverse cross. It didn’t make sense from that angle to cross the ball. And they were on a high line, to chip that it would have to be such a delicate pass. I just thought, go for it,” he mentioned after the primary leg.
It wasn’t a fortunate strike or an ungodly deflection that did it, however calculated strikes that noticed the flight of the ball depart the indefatigable Thibaut Courtois trying clueless. It was moderately becoming that the TV cameras instantly panned to former Real and Brazil nice Roberto Carlos within the crowd, for such was the precision of Rice’s twin strikes.
THE GIST
The Spaniards hoped for la remontada all week, and but, the best comeback of all got here from Saka.
In the tip, Arsenal’s win was a triumph of system over particular person energy, of the entire being larger than the sum of its components.
Despite Rice’s elegant free-kicks, the 26-year-old’s greatest attributes are in midfield, the place he hassles and hurries opponents out of possession and units the tempo for his group.
When Mikel Arteta’s males got here in all weapons blazing, Real had no reply and was left second-guessing the whole lot, even in its personal yard.
Rice ‘cooked’ twice. And it couldn’t style sweeter.
Despite the elegant free kicks, the 26-year-old’s greatest attributes are within the midfield, the place he hassles and hurries opponents out of possession and units the tempo for his group along with his drive when on the ball.
In the cauldron that’s the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, whose intimidating aura has blanked a plethora of world-class stars, Rice confirmed that he was a minimize above the remainder. He supplied the protect that stored an more and more determined Real Madrid at bay.
Declan Rice of Arsenal is challenged by Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid throughout their UEFA Champions League 2024/25 quarterfinal second leg on the Santiago Bernabeu on April 16, 2025 in Madrid, Spain.
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images
The most telling second of the competition, throughout each legs, got here when the £105 million man left Mbappe, Los Blancos’ crown jewel, in a heap on the ground, duly forcing his substitution. And because the Frenchman limped his manner out, so did his group’s hopes.
“It’s such a special night for this club. A historic night. We want to win this competition,” Rice confidently mentioned after wrapping up the win in Madrid. In its present kind, not many would wager in opposition to the north London aspect going all the way in which.
A story of twos
Being handed the ball for a stress penalty along with his group’s fortunes on the road? Bukayo Saka has been there earlier than, as a 19-year-old whose missed spotkick noticed Italy beat England to win the Euro 2020.
Four years later, he confidently picked up the ball once more, this time hoping to place daylight between Arsenal and Real Madrid. He noticed an audacious Panenka chip simply saved by Courtois, prompting the boisterous Spanish crowd to take up the decibel ranges a few notches.
Real Madrid’s goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois blocks Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka’s photographs from the penalty spot throughout the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal second leg on the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid on April 16, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
AFP
“I didn’t want to die but maybe I wanted to slap him! He made that decision, he was bold enough to do it. I was more concerned about the emotional part, what it could do for us,” Arteta later mentioned, talking of his feelings within the aftermath of that penalty miss.
On one other day, this might have been the turning level of one other well-known Real Madrid comeback, on which ballads would have been written. But this wasn’t frequently scheduled programming.
And Saka? He isn’t the simply annoyed teenager anymore, however a perfectionist who leads by instance. When skipper Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino mixed to launch Saka into the field, he did the unthinkable — try one other chip, this time beating Courtois and nestling the again of the web.
The Spaniards hoped for la remontada all week, and but, the best comeback of all got here from Saka. Or his left boot, to be exact.
“We saw all the stuff that was going on social media, saying they were going to come back… but we’ve been able to show our mentality. We should be proud,” the 23-year-old remarked after the win with a grin.
The future is now
Over the years, when Arsenal struggled to compete with the monetary would possibly of Manchester City or the ingenuity of Liverpool domestically, Saka provided followers the hope of a brighter future. The complete win in opposition to Real Madrid has underlined that the long run is now and it was properly well worth the wait.
“It’s another massive step. The way we have done it, it’s incredible,” Arteta mentioned after the sport. His counterpart, Carlo Ancelotti, conceded that Real Madrid had been second-best throughout each legs. “There are no excuses. In the two games, they were better than us. We did everything we could.”
The most putting picture from this contest will stay Saka silencing the Bernabeu crowd, 19 years after Thierry Henry did the identical. Almost like custom, a seminal second whose particulars will likely be gleefully handed on from one generation to a different.
In the tip, Arsenal’s win was a triumph of system over particular person energy, of the entire being larger than the sum of its components. This resolute, street-smart and well-drilled group is, for the primary time because the Invincibles, putting worry in its opponents.
This will go down as Arsenal’s biggest evening within the Champions League. For now.
Published – April 17, 2025 07:32 pm IST
