Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was delighted when his side took its way to a 3-0 Champions League quarterfinals first leg victory over holders Real Madrid, with English star Declan Rice scored two stunning free kicks in the second half
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta could not believe that Declan Rice Double Die Real Madrid in their first stage of Champions League in the quarterfinals. England Ace Rice scored two beautiful set pieces – the first of his career – within a 12 -minute period in the second half.
Those strikes, plus the excellent left foot finish by Mikel Merino, handed the Premier League side a 3-0 win and placed them in pole position to reach the semi-final and chose the holders.
Rice had never scored from a direct free kick in 338 professional performances before Tuesday evening. It is remarkable that Arsenal was also unable to find the net of a direct set piece in almost four years, with their last against Burnley in September 2021 by Captain Martin Odegaard. When Rice's second hit the net, Odegaard put his head on his head unbelieving.
And that disbelief was matched by Arteta, who exclaimed: “What are the opportunities!?”
Arteta said: “Declan is very determined because we have said in recent months that we have not scored no direct free kick in three and a half years.
“So, to score two goals in 12 minutes of that size and that quality of the same player, a player who has never scored a free kick in his career.
“This night everything went over two factors; one is the atmosphere that we have kicked off 15 minutes before the kick -off with something that I have never seen before. And then the magic, the individual moments that determine all competitions. And the first two goals of Declan summarize the night.”
The victory was the best thing about Arsenal in the Emirates Stadium, the second half turned out to be a really one-sided demolition of the 15-way European champions.
Arteta added: “If you have not played this team for the past 20 years and have not had a good run in this competition, you must be willing to write your own history, and it is on this kind of night where you can do that. We have done that, but we have much more to give.”
Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti insists that his side should respond to the Bernabeu next week and believe that they can still reach the last four.
“If you look at the game tonight, there is no possibility (from a comeback at the Bernabeu)-but nobody expected Rice to score two goals from set pieces, so something can happen in football,” said the Italian.
“The possibility is low, but we have to try 100 percent and do everything we can. It is a chance to show a response to a bad game.”
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