Arsenal are back among Europe’s elite on a night packed with tension, drama, and redemption as Mikel Arteta’s side sealed a historic 2-1 victory over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu, completing a commanding 5-1 aggregate triumph to reach their first UEFA Champions League semi-final in 15 years.
Heading into the second leg with a commanding 3-0 lead, the Gunners were warned of the Spanish media’s cries for La Remontada – the comeback. But while Real Madrid’s reputation for European magic loomed large, it was Arsenal who wrote the script.
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The hosts were given an early lifeline when Bukayo Saka missed a tame penalty, comfortably saved by Thibaut Courtois.
Moments later, Real thought they had their way back into the tie when Kylian Mbappé went down in the box, only for VAR to intervene and rightfully overturn the decision, with minimal contact from Declan Rice.
Despite that reprieve, Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid were uncharacteristically flat and uninspired, rarely threatening Arsenal’s composure. And it was Saka, making amends for his earlier miss, who opened the scoring with a scintillating team goal – a sweeping move capped off with a precise finish to give Arsenal a 1-0 lead on the night and all but kill the tie.
Madrid did pull one back through Vinicius Jr., capitalizing on a defensive mix-up from William Saliba. But any hopes of a miracle were extinguished in the dying moments when Gabriel Martinelli struck a devastating counter-attacking goal to restore Arsenal’s lead and send the travelling supporters into euphoria.
Once again, Declan Rice stole the show in midfield with a commanding display that earned him the Player of the Match award.
He orchestrated the tempo, disrupted Madrid’s rhythm, and underlined his value in what was perhaps his finest performance in an Arsenal shirt.
Arsenal now look ahead to a blockbuster semi-final clash with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) – a tie that promises fireworks.
