With an impressive level of performance, Arsenal won an excellent 3-0 victory over Real Madrid on one of the most memorable nights in the history of the Emirates Stadium. This advantage can be considered extremely consistent for the return leg at the Santiago Bernabéu, where Real often come up trumps in the Champions League.
In a game marked by several gaps in midfield during the first half, Arsenal took the offensive initiative and controlled the main actions, while Real sought to bring their defensive lines closer together to exploit the speed in transition, mainly with Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappe.
Raya was hardly called upon, but he did his bit in the 30th minute when Jude Bellingham escaped through the middle and laid the ball off for Mbappé to fire past his marker and hit the ball firmly, almost over the keeper. After a goalless first half, Real Madrid tried to play a more attacking role in an attempt to keep Arsenal on their toes. But the Gunners didn't fall into this trap and managed to regain the lead.
From the 58th minute, the biggest star of the night at the Emirates Stadium began to shine. From a dangerous free-kick, Declan Rice took a firm shot and the ball curved off the wall and into Courtois' corner. After wasting many chances and giving Real Madrid a scare, Arsenal got their second goal through another Declan Rice free-kick. The top scorer on the night curled a perfect free-kick into the corner, leaving no chance for Courtois to save.
But the two-goal lead didn't seem to be enough to put Mikel Arteta off, and the Arsenal players got the message: in the 75th minute, in a beautiful move down the left, Merino received the ball in the box and shot into the corner to make it 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium. And just in case Arsenal fans are feeling a little suspicious: the Gunners have never lost a game by three goals in the Champions League.
Understanding Declan Rice's historic night
With two spectacular goals, Declan Rice literally made history on a very bright night at the Emirates Stadium. No other player in the entire history of the UEFA Champions League has scored two free-kick goals in a knockout match in the continental competition. This is all the more relevant given that Declan Rice had never scored a single goal in more than 400 games played.