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1 week ago
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Who knew that Declan Rice would be able to bend a free-kick like Beckham? On the very biggest stage. And not just once, either. On a red-letter night for Arsenal, one to fire dreams of the ultimate triumph, their key midfielder brought the house down; Real Madrid to their knees, as well.
It is never wise to write off the Champions League holders, the 15‑time winners, the club that have the patent on voodoo-style comebacks. Surely not this time.
Rice had never previously scored from a direct free-kick in his nine‑season professional career. He did it twice here inside 12 golden second-half minutes and against Thibaut Courtois, too – arguably the best goalkeeper in Europe. Both were marked by precision, a total mastery of the flight and swerve; each one into the same side of the net from a little over 25 yards out.
The second had grown men and women rubbing their eyes, Rice jumping onto the top of an advertising board, literally ten feet tall after picking out the far top corner. There would be even more for Arsenal. The outstanding Myles Lewis-Skelly was involved, playing the final pass after yet another incision and there was Mikel Merino to sweep home for 3-0.
Madrid would finish with 10 men, Eduardo Camavinga sent off for kicking the ball away – a second bookable offence, their implosion complete. It was one of the finest nights of Arsenal’s history and one that Rice will cherish forever.
It was a seismic occasion for Arsenal, the club’s biggest game surely since 2009-10 when they faced Barcelona in the quarter-final of this competition and lost. The ensuing years have not been kind to Arsenal in terms of the Champions League, although they did reach the quarter-final last season where they fell to Bayern Munich. How they have craved a night of this type of event glamour.
Arteta had called it the biggest game of his coaching career and nobody was about to argue. He wanted the home crowd to bring the intensity and there were goosebumps rising on arms around the stadium before kick-off, the fireworks going off, the volume turned up to maximum. “Make it happen,” read the wording on a pre-match tifo.
Arsenal pressed hard on to the front foot at the outset, giving everything. It was easy to marvel at Madrid’s threat on the counter, the sheer speed of Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior. But Arteta’s players seemed intent on answering the call from their fans. Jurrien Timber was in the mood from right-back while Myles Lewis-Skelly stepped up into midfield from the other full-back position, looking to be the spark, fizzing his low searching passes. A player this young really ought not to be this composed.
Arsenal almost got one of their trademark inswinging corners to work in the early going, Thomas Partey rising and Thibaut Courtois losing his bearings in a crowded area. The goalkeeper was fortunate that the ball hit William Saliba, who was almost on the line in front of goal. Would it have gone in without his intervention?
Arsenal could also point to the moment during their high-octane initial push when Gabriel Martinelli exploded towards the byline to pull back and, after Rice’s shot had hit Raúl Asencio, Mikel Merino laid off for Partey, who worked Courtois.
Madrid’s idea was to draw Arsenal’s sting. Which they did for much of the remainder of the first-half. The visitors defended in a 4-4-2 formation, Jude Bellingham dropping to the left of the midfield but they shimmered with menace on the transitions. Arsenal knew that any mistakes stood to be devoured. Madrid’s big chance of the first-half came when Bellingham robbed Timber and played a pass in behind for Mbappé, who turned on the jets. David Raya stood tall to block.
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Back came Arsenal before the interval, Bukayo Saka to the fore. He tricked and teased, getting around the outside but nobody in red could read his crosses. Rice would pop up on to one from Timber on 45 minutes only for Courtois to repel his header and block the follow-up shot from Martinelli.
It was Saka’s first start since he ruptured his hamstring on 21 December and suffice to say, it was good for Arsenal to have him back. Madrid struggled to deal with his subtle changes of direction, his deceptive speed, his directness.
It was Saka who won the free-kick for Rice’s goal, ghosting inside before being fouled by David Alaba. What happened next had the Emirates rocking. Rice’s run-up was quick and purposeful; the technique on the shot sumptuous. He started the ball a yard or so outside Courtois’s left-hand post only to bring it back at the very last. There was a reason why the TV cameras picked out the former Madrid galactico, Roberto Carlos, in the crowd.
Arsenal sensed blood and Courtois, so often the Madrid saviour, was called upon to keep his team in it. He saved from Martinelli and after Mikel Merino’s follow-up was cleared off the line by Alaba, the goalkeeper turned over when Merino shot again. Moments later, Bellingham needed to clear a Rice shot off the line. It was a scintillating Arsenal performance. And it was about to get even better.
