Declan Rice surprised Real Madrid with two Sukkel-Punch Free-Free-Traps on Tuesday evening in a version that is widely greeted, although a former Champions League winner turned out to be more difficult to please than most.
The English midfielder broke the impasse with an exceptional free kick from the range, before it only followed 12 minutes later with an even better effort that arrived in the upper corner.
Mikel Merino then added a third in the 75th minute to bring the score to 3-0, and the Gunners drew a huge clean cloth profit against the holders of the competition, Rice naturally grabbed the player of the Match Award for his problems.
Since that point he has received widespread praise for his performance, which also saw him completely midfield and admiring the pace of his side admirably.
But a former Real Madrid and Inter Milan Maestro was apparently not impressed by the Free-Ur goals of the English star and claimed that his first attempt was 'extremely simple', and the second on a goalkeeper error.
“I don't think the free kick (s) were so impressive,” the Dutch legend Wesley Sneijder revealed on the Dutch TV channel Ziggo Sport.
'This may sound strange, but it is extremely easy to curve such a ball, as long as you know how to make a shot, and I know everything about this. The wall was in default here.
“The same for the 2nd free kick, saw your Courtois move to the right just before Rice took it, a mistake from the goalkeeper.”
Sneijder was partially supported by former Dutch teammate and former-Ersenal Double winner Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
“I think Wesley is right,” said the former Gunners defender about the first goal. “You can see that the wall is too far to the left, making it easy for rice to pass by.”
Apart from the wall positioning, both efforts were fantastic in free kicks that Thibaut Courtois had little chance of getting a salvation.
However, it is interesting that Rice had never scored a direct free kick for the game; He had two against full -time.
His Double Whammy also also stabbed the reputation of Arsenal as a set-piece specialists, with Rice's second free kick their 21st non-Penalty Set-piece Purpose of the campaign in all competitions more than any other Premier League team.
However, there was more to their dominance than two free kicks, with Merino's third-the cherry on the cake that came after a smooth 16-pass movement as a result of David Raya, the second highest number of passes that starts from a goalkeeper to result in a goal.
Last night Arsenal defended the chances of blowing Real Madrid off the field at the Emirates, with 11 shots on goal in the game, the Joint-Hogste Tally that each party has ever managed against Los Blancos in the Knock-Outs.
Of course Rice was still in shock, unable to fully process what he had done after the game, and in an insightful interview with club legend Thierry Henry, it revealed that it was the best moment in his career to date.
“I can't describe it, I don't think it will affect me what I've done tonight,” he told CBS Sports Golazo. 'Two free kicks in a quarterfinals against Real Madrid at home, it's so special. I am so happy, probably the best moment in my career.
'In these big games I always try to perform, and I thought:' Go outside and have no fear – what do you have to lose? It is a football match against Real Madrid, if you have fear, no good things will happen! '
“We really believed as a team that we could win tonight. Every time we had the ball, we tried to be a threat, I tried to run as much as possible with it, who constantly tried to be a threat, probably should have had two.
“I went outside and I was fearless and I was ready as you said, to prove a point, and we did.”
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