Declan Rice stunned Real Madrid with two brilliant free-kicks to help Arsenal to a commanding 3-0 win in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.
Rice stepped up in the 58th minute to whip a fine set-piece past Thibaut Courtois that bent remarkably wide of the goal before curling back in. Then 12 minutes later he fired another into the top corner to put Mikel Arteta’s men in full control ahead of the return game at the Bernabeu next Wednesday.
Mikel Merino applied the finishing touches to a statement Emirates win in the 75th minute and Eduardo Camavinga’s late second yellow card summed up a torrid evening for Carlo Ancelotti’s team. So which Rice free-kick was better? And just how bad were this Madrid side?
Jordan Campbell, Jack Lang and Mark Carey analyse the key talking points.
Which Rice free-kick was better?
Arteta has asked his team to create their own history at the Emirates. He has pleaded for his players to produce “magic moments”. Before kick-off, he told his players that belief would not be enough, that it was about mentality and every individual being convinced that they were going to be the difference maker.
When Bukayo Saka won a free-kick in the 59th minute, it looked a tad far out to trouble nominally the best goalkeeper in the world.
But Rice stood over the ball with the conviction Arteta had been demanding. No decoys, no alternative takers. Just him alone visualising the ball curling around the wall, from almost 32 yards out.
The ball flew around the outside of Federico Valverde and was beyond Courtois before he got near the post. The Belgian positioned his wall a little too central, but Rice took full advantage. The way the ball swerved out before curling back in was scarcely believable, as the below stills show.
This was the iconic moment that Arteta has been trying to conjure. It was fitting that it was Rice, the lungs of the team, who breathed a gust of life through the Emirates. In the stands, former Madrid and Brazil left-back and free-kick specialist Roberto Carlos could not believe it.
There are not many goals that have produced that roar but 12 minutes later, when Saka’s mazy run drew another free kick in an even better position, the unthinkable happened.
Rice stepped up from almost 28 yards out and whipped the ball into the same corner, only this time within inches of the upright.
Arteta took a second to react, before throwing his hands on his head. The fans were in raptures but also in disbelief.
When Rice started taking corner kicks last season, there was some surprise at a player of his stature doing so. With technicians like Martin Odegaard and Saka in the team, it may have raised eyebrows that he has taken over free-kick duties, too, but ball-striking is just another part of his game which is severely underrated. It was even more remarkable given those were the first goals Rice had scored from free-kicks in his career. He became the first player to do that in a single Champions League knockout game in the process and the fifth across the competition.
Scoring two FKs in a CL game
| Player | For | Against | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Rivaldo |
Barcelona |
Milan |
2000 |
|
Cristiano Ronaldo |
Real Madrid |
FC Zurich |
2009 |
|
Neymar |
PSG |
Red Star Belgrade |
2018 |
|
Hakim Ziyech |
Galatasaray |
Manchester United |
2023 |
|
Declan Rice |
Arsenal |
Real Madrid |
2025 |
The song ringing around the stadium — “Declan Rice, we got him half price” — just about summed it up.
Jordan Campbell
How did Arsenal shackle Madrid?
Even with the notable absence of Gabriel in the heart of their defence due to injury, there was little doubt that Arsenal were going to be strong defensively on Tuesday night.
Arteta’s men had the fourth-strongest defensive record across the top five European leagues when looking at the quality of chances they give up in a game (0.79 non-penalty expected goals per 90), but playing against Real Madrid is another task altogether.
Arsenal’s typical 4-4-2 shape out of possession was strong when Madrid had the ball and the height of the defensive block was crucial. For long periods, they were happy for Madrid to circulate possession and stay in a mid-to-low block, which had two benefits.
The first was that it forced Madrid to go around their compact shape into wide areas, crucially away from their goal. The second was that the space they left behind was minimal, preventing their speedy forwards — namely Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe — from running in behind.
As a result, a lot of Madrid’s best play came from quick transitions where they were able to win the ball back quickly and exploit the space before Arsenal could get back into shape.
Arteta’s side were disciplined to stifle the biggest threat that their opponents posed. A similar performance at the Bernabeu will give them an excellent foundation to qualify for the semi-finals. Given the lead they have in the tie, a similar defensive performance at the Bernabeu will see them sail through to the semi-finals with little issue.
Mark Carey
How weak does this Madrid side look?
Real Madrid’s history is littered with magical nights on the European stage. This was not one of them. For 55 minutes, it was a shrug of a performance, almost arrogant in its complete lack of urgency. Then, as Rice morphed into Juninho Pernambucano, it began to take on a different texture. You don’t often see Madrid as they were in the final stages here, punch-drunk and praying for a miracle.
In the first half, Ancelotti’s side walked the fine line between ‘composed away performance’ and ‘actually just not playing very well’. There were, after a shaky start, a couple of long spells of possession that sucked some of the air out of the Emirates. They made you feel, instinctively, that Madrid knew what they doing, that this was just part of the old rope-a-dope schtick.
There were a couple of half-chances, both created by Jude Bellingham, both spurned by Mbappe.
At least he did something. You couldn’t really say Vinicius Jr or Rodrygo played badly; it was more that they barely played at all, their presence amounting to two grey kits and not a lot else.
Of course, it took two set-pieces to puncture the Madrid backline. But Merino’s goal, guided home brilliantly with no opponent near, spoke of the chaos and confusion that had taken hold. A late red card for Camavinga only rammed home the point.
Are they still in this tie? Probably, it’s Real Madrid. But they need to relocate their bearings — and fast.
Jack Lang
What did Arteta say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.
What did Ancelotti say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.
What next for Arsenal?
Saturday, April 12: Brentford (Home), Premier League, 5.30pm UK, 12.30pm ET
What next for Madrid?
Sunday, April 13: Alaves (Away), La Liga, 3.15pm UK, 10.15am ET