Jude Bellingham stood with his hands on his hips, puffing up his cheeks as he gazed up at the large screen above a corner crowded with exuberant and dancing Arsenal supporters.
The gesture was a powerful statement. The fifteen-time European champions, Real Madrid, were about to be eliminated spectacularly from a tournament that they now consider to be their private playground.
Real had been hit like machine gun fire by Arsenal’s three goals in the second half. Two from their substitute center striker Mikel Merino’s left foot and two from Declan Rice’s sweeping right foot, which were surprisingly the first successful free-kicks of his 338-game career.
By the time Merino’s shot reached Thibaut Courtois’ bottom corner in the 75th minute, Carlo Ancelotti’s club was virtually eliminated from the match, even if it was 0-0 as the hour mark drew near.
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The reigning champions won’t be written off just yet. They have already endured this kind of suffering only to choke teams at the Santiago Bernabeu. Mikel Arteta and his team will still be put to the test next week in Madrid.
Nevertheless, Arsenal put on a show that made a message. They adorned it with a performance worthy of the biggest night at the Emirates in two decades.
In the first half, they were the superior squad. steadily forward-thinking and goal-oriented. They then burst into life, leaving Real struggling in a rushing red and white rip wave, thanks to Rice’s two free-kick goals in minutes 58 and 70.
Naturally, they claim that Rice doesn’t score enough goals, and he doesn’t. This season, the England star has just two Premier League games. However, these two dead ball strikes will not be defeated this year in Europe.
Courtois, the goalie for Real Madrid, had forewarned of Arsenal’s set piece threat, but this was not his intention. He was discussing corners. One of the best goalkeepers in the world, who nearly single-handedly led Real Madrid to a 2022 Paris final versus Liverpool, was relegated to dive merely for show as Rice launched his two leather rockets towards his goal.
It’s no surprise that Bellingham, who spent the majority of the evening looking irate, appeared shocked. He has trained with Rice on English fields for hours, but he has never witnessed him produce anything like this.
Real Madrid’s night came to an embarrassing conclusion when Eduardo Camavinga, their central midfielder, was sent off for a second yellow card during extra time. Next week, he won’t be playing.
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More important at the time, though, was the fact that David Raya, the goalie for Arsenal, had only made one noteworthy save during the evening. On the other hand, Courtois was perhaps Real Madrid’s busiest and greatest player.
In the first half, Arsenal’s threat was evident, but the Belgian’s goal had not been under pressure. Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka had been moving down the flanks. Saka beat the defenseless David Alaba to cross low three times.
Courtois once stopped Martinelli’s follow-up after saving Rice’s header. He had previously stopped a drive from Thomas Partey after Martinelli had sent the ball in from the opposite direction.
In the game, Real was second best. Vinicius Junior fired a shot wide, and Bellingham sent Kylian Mbappe through before Raya made a stop.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti would have recognized at halftime that his squad needed to improve, but he could not have predicted the savagery of Arsenal’s next attack.
Saka, who is currently Arsenal’s top player, got the free-kick that resulted in the opening goal in the 58th minute by running lateral from right to left.
Rice took the ball with his right foot, curled it around the wall a yard outside the goalkeeper’s left post, and then returned it to the corner, even though he was at least 25 yards out. The Brazilian Roberto Carlos, Real Madrid’s longtime master of the craft, saw it from the luxurious seats, and it was rather spectacular.
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Alaba stopped Merino’s follow-up on the line, Courtois denied Martinelli low down, and the goalkeeper sprang up to tip the forward’s next drive over the bar as Arsenal gained power from the goal and, with Real trying to reclaim firm ground, nearly scored again ten minutes later. Bellingham cleared a Rice shot from the line from the corner.
Despite Real’s best efforts to hold on, everything felt incredibly chaotic all of a sudden. Adrenaline and opportunity made Arsenal stronger and faster, making them suddenly unstoppable.