Arsenal put on a stunning display at the Emirates Stadium, beating Real Madrid 3–0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal tie.
After a quiet first half with no goals, the Gunners came alive in the second half. Declan Rice opened the scoring in the 58th minute with a brilliant free kick, curling the ball around the wall and past Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Just 12 minutes later, Rice struck again with another amazing free kick, this time from a different angle. He found the top right corner, giving Courtois no chance and doubling Arsenal’s lead.
The home crowd erupted once more in the 75th minute, as Mikel Merino added a third goal to seal a dominant win for Arsenal.
Strong Advantage for Second Leg
The result gives Arsenal a strong three-goal advantage ahead of the return match at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid next week.
It was a night to remember for Mikel Arteta’s side, who completely outplayed the current European champions. Real Madrid have now conceded 11 goals in their last four matches and are going through a difficult period.
Arsenal, meanwhile, are still unbeaten against Real Madrid in all their meetings. Remarkably, the Spanish giants have never scored a goal against the Gunners in three matches.
Declan Rice’s brilliant performance earned him the Man of the Match award, and his two goals also made Champions League history — he became the first player ever to score two direct free kicks in a knockout stage match.
With confidence high and a big lead in hand, Arsenal now head to Spain looking to finish the job and reach the semi-finals.
