Declan Rice Makes Champions League History in Arsenal’s Big Win Over Real Madrid
Declan Rice made Champions League history with a brilliant performance against Real Madrid at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.
The Arsenal midfielder became the first player ever to score two direct free kicks in a single Champions League knockout match. What made it even more special was that he did it against the current European champions, Real Madrid.
The first half ended without any goals, but Rice changed everything in the 58th minute. He scored his first goal by curling a free kick around the Real Madrid wall and into the net, beating goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. That goal gave Arsenal a 1–0 lead.
Just 12 minutes later, Rice scored again with another stunning free kick. This time from a different angle, he sent the ball into the top right corner, and Courtois had no chance. Arsenal were now 2–0 up, and Rice had written his name in the history books.
In the 75th minute, Mikel Merino added a third goal for Arsenal, making it a 3–0 win in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.
A Night to Remember for Arsenal
It was a dream night for Arsenal and a tough one for Real Madrid. The Spanish club have now conceded 11 goals in their last four matches and have lost 11 times this season.
Arsenal, on the other hand, continue their strong record against Real Madrid. In fact, Real Madrid have never scored a goal against Arsenal. The two teams have now met three times, and the Spanish side has failed to find the net in all of them.
Rice’s performance earned him the Man of the Match award and gave Arsenal a three-goal advantage before the second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu next week.
