Article body analysed
Football
Real Madrid
vs Arsenal. UEFA Champions League Quarter Final.
8: 00pm, Wednesday 16th April 2025.
Santiago Bernabeu.
1-5 Match report as Arsenal win 2-1 at the Bernabeu to seal a historic 5-1 aggregate victory over holders Real Madrid; Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli were on target for the Gunners; Mikel Arteta's side will face Paris Saint-Germain in the last four
Comment and Analysis
@nicholaspwright
Wednesday 16 April 2025 23: 42, UK Arsenal dumped holders Real Madrid out of the Champions League as a stunning 2-1 win at the Bernabeu sealed a 5-1 aggregate victory to set up a semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain. Led by the talismanic Bukayo Saka - who dinked a superb finish over Thibaut Courtois in the second half, having earlier had a Panenka penalty saved by the goalkeeper - Arsenal quashed all the talk of a Real Madrid comeback following their three-goal first-leg win. The hosts were given a lifeline as William Saliba was caught on the ball by Vinicius Jr shortly after Saka's goal, allowing the Real Madrid forward to equalise, but Arsenal maintained their composure before Gabriel Martinelli added a breakaway winner in stoppage time. Real Madrid: Courtois (7), Vazquez (6), Rudiger (5), Asencio (5), Alaba (5), Tchouameni (6), Valverde (7), Bellingham (6), Rodrygo (5), Vinicius Jr (7), Mbappe (6).
Subs: Endrick (6), Ceballos (6), Garcia (6), Brahim (6), Modric (6).
Arsenal: Raya (8), Timber (8), Saliba (7), Kiwior (8), Lewis-Skelly (8), Partey (7), Odegaard (7), Rice (9), Saka (8), Martinelli (8), Merino (8).
Subs: Trossard (6), Tierney (n/a), White (n/a), Zinchenko (n/a).
Player of the Match: Declan Rice
The victory ranks as one of the club's greatest in Europe and puts them into the last four of the competition for the first time since 2009 and only the third time in their history. In truth, such an outcome never looked in any real jeopardy thanks to a composed performance which left Real Madrid, 15-time winners of the competition and masters of historic comebacks, deeply frustrated as they struggled to carve out chances against Arsenal's organised defence. Arsenal did have to come through moments of adversity, with Saka's early penalty miss giving the hosts a psychological boost. Real Madrid then had a penalty of their own overturned following a five-minute VAR check later in the second half, after Declan Rice was wrongly adjudged to have fouled Kylian Mbappe.
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The home fans sensed the possibility of another epic 'remontada' when Saliba's error led to their instant equaliser after Saka's beautifully-worked opener, but their hope was short-lived as Arsenal reasserted their superiority. Overall, they were the more threatening of the two teams, with Saka and Martinelli outshining Mbappe and Vinicius Jr in attack, Rice dominating the midfield, and Saliba and Jakub Kiwior excelling defensively, save for Saliba's error for Real Madrid's goal. Martinelli's late strike, slotted home with a level of composure typical of Arsenal's performance, following a superb counter-attack started by David Raya, gave them a deserved victory on the night, ensuring they can continue to dream of lifting the trophy. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice speaking to TNT Sport: "It's such a special night, a historic one for the club. We have the objective of playing the best and winning the competition. "We had so much belief and confidence from that first leg and came here to win the game. We knew we were going to suffer but we knew we were going to win. We had it in our minds, then we did it real life. What a night. "I knew when I signed this club was on an upward trajectory. It's been tough in the Premier League but in this competition we've done amazingly well. "This club is going to do some special things over the next few years - we have trust in this manager and we've got played like [Myles] Lewis-Skelly coming through. It's a great mix. It's PSG next who are an amazing team. " Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta speaking to TNT Sport: "One of the best nights in my football career. "We played against a team with the biggest history. It has been an inspiration for all of us on this competition. "To be able to win the tie in the manner we have done, I think we have to be very proud of ourselves. "It is very difficult. After two or three minutes you realise anything can happen in this stadium. "Fortunately, a lot of things went for us. Overall, we did what we had to do to win the game. "The history we have in this competition is so short. The third time in our history of what we have just done and we have to build on that. All this experience is going to help us, for sure. "We had full belief that we could beat this team and the players did it. " Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti in his press conference: "Arsenal have been better than us. We tried to do our best. Maybe the overturned penalty was a turning point. That could have changed it. "But Arsenal defended very well. We found it difficult to find spaces. We were better than normal in our intensity level but it wasn't enough. " "We have done very well in the last seasons but this year we have had to suffer. Things haven't gone as expected but in sport, it can happen because there are no unbeatable teams. " Tom from Southampton became a millionaire for free with Super 6! Could you be the next jackpot winner? Play for free!
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