The post-match interview of Real Madrid Lucas Vazquez burst with sour grapes after the Spanish giants had been played in successive legs by Arsenal, who achieved a 5-1 total victory
Lucas Vazquez has insisted on Arsenal “Did Hard Nothing” in the first half in the Bernabeu on Wednesday evening. The Gunners moved for the first time since 2009 to the semi-final of the Champions League with a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid, who sealed an emphatic 5-1 aggregated victory while playing the Spanish giants at their own match.
Arrived in Madrid with a 3-0 advantage thanks to Declan's Free-Kicks and Mikel Merino's finish, the side of Mikel Arteta wanted the atmosphere in the Bernabeu Beds. They provided a quiet opening of 45 minutes, apart from two criminal decisions.
One saw a missed fine for Bukayo Saka, who had saved his Dink by Thibaut Courtois, while the other saw a real spot kick overthrow after a long VAR check after Kylian Mbappe went under Rice's contact.
Saka made up for his miss in the second half by chipping Courtois from Rice's neat pass, and although Vinicius Junior took a goal after an error by William Saliba, Real never stirred. Gabriel Martinelli took care of the victory in both feet for Arsenal when he ran free from the defense in the 93rd minute and slid cool in the corner.
Rice described it as a “historical night for the club” in his interview after the game and greeted the discipline and mentality of Arsenal. But the real experienced Vazquez, who supplied the leader of a large part of the night, had a very different take.
“It's a difficult moment. I think we tried it today. It was a complicated match. We didn't have all the opportunities we had wanted,” he told Movistar +. “We did not lose sight of the goal. There were interruptions [but] It didn't happen. “
“Maybe we missed more clarity. More patience,” he added. “They came to defend, to play their role. In the first half they did almost nothing. In the second, with the team that pressed, they found the victory.”
He ended with a promise to the fans: “Thanks for the atmosphere you have made. Real Madrid will always return. Not everything is lost. There is a lot of season left. The team is united and would like to achieve what is left.”
Arsenal will come across Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-final after the French side passed Aston Villa and Arteta shone in his press conference. Asked if he had ever been more proud of his players, he replied: 'Probably not. Not only because we are now in the semi -final for the third time in our history, but also because of the way we did it.
“Not only because of the way we played, but also because of the circumstances, the amount of injuries we had. That shows the character of this team, of this club, and it is a night to be very proud of.”