Arsenal 3:0 Real Madrid
A jubilant Declan Rice ran towards the audience with the ball in the net, his Arsenal teammates also ran after him. But Martin Odegaard stood still for a moment. His eyes were on the goalpost, his hands above his head and his face was a sign of disbelief. The Arsenal captain seemed unable to understand what had just happened.
Real Madrid were in such a state of shock after what Rice and Arsenal did at the Emirates Stadium today. The current champions lost 3-0 to Arsenal in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.
It is better to say devastated than defeated. All three goals were scored in just 17 minutes. If goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had not stood as a wall, it would have been even more difficult to digest, and one of them even saw a red card at the end, like a blow to the head.
Rice made history in the Champions League by scoring 2 goals from direct free kicks in such a miserable match for Real.
After the kick-off, Kylian Mbappe took the first shot on goal of the match, but Arsenal became sharper as time went on. However, the hosts did not see a goal in the first 45 minutes. In the meantime, Courtois blocked Rice's header and Gabriel Martinelli's shot just before the break. Again, in the 31st minute, Mbappe wasted the opportunity by giving the ball to Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya even though he was alone.
The match changed in the second half. In the 58th minute, Arsenal received a free kick and Declan Rice took a shot. The powerfully taken curved shot went low and hit the net. Courtois did not reach it even though he jumped. This was Rice's first goal from a direct free kick in 339 matches in his Arsenal and West Ham career.
But the 28-year-old midfielder didn't stop there. Arsenal were awarded another free kick in the 70th minute, this time Rice's powerful shot into the net. The ball, which reached the top post, was also out of reach of the Real goalkeeper. Seeing the goal, Odegaard forgot to celebrate and raised his hand to his head.
631.804 SRY