Declan Rice stunned Real Madrid with two brilliant free kicks—his first ever in his career—as Arsenal secured a commanding 3-0 lead in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
Mikel Arteta had encouraged Arsenal fans to arrive early to create an electrifying atmosphere inside the stadium, and the team responded by aggressively starting the game, delivering several dangerous crosses into the Madrid penalty area.
It wasn’t until the 20th minute that Madrid had their first real chance, with Vinicius Jr. curling an effort wide of the target. However, Rice took command of the match for Arsenal in the second half with a display of individual brilliance.
The Gunners were the superior side throughout the evening and took the lead in the 58th minute when Rice curled his first exceptional free kick around the Real Madrid wall into the corner of the net, past goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Rice added a second goal 12 minutes later, delivering another long-range free kick of equal quality, bending it into the top right-hand corner to leave the Madrid side stunned.
Mikel Merino then ensured it was a truly memorable night for Arsenal, curling a shot into the bottom corner from inside the area just five minutes later.
Things worsened for Madrid when Eduardo Camavinga was sent off in stoppage time for receiving a second yellow card.
Arsenal has not reached the semi-finals of the Champions League since the 2008-09 season, but with this result, they have given themselves a significant chance of progressing to the last four.
