Declan Rice put Arsenal on the verge of achieving the Champions League semifinals secured through two free kicks at home in curling Real Madrid’s The most renowned "Galácticos" would have admired this.
Rice bent a free kick around the Madrid wall to open the scoring in the 58th minute, then added another goal from a direct free kick into the upper corner in the 70th minute, helping Arsenal secure a 3-0 victory in the first leg of the quarterfinals at the Emirates Stadium.
With Madrid great Roberto Carlos looking on in the stands, Rice put on a display of power and bend reminiscent of the many free kicks scored by the Brazilian defender in his day — or by his teammates David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane and Figo for that matter.
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Unlike those names, Rice has not been known for his free kick prowess — until now.
“It’s been in the locker, but I’ve hit the wall too many times or it’s gone over the bar," Rice told broadcaster Amazon Prime. “Originally we were going to cross it and then I’ve just seen the wall and the goalkeeper’s position. So I thought just go for it.”
Mikel Merino added the third in the 75th to put Arsenal on the brink of returning to the semifinals for the first time since 2009.
In the other quarter final match, Inter Milan won 2-1 at Bayern Munich.
Making matters worse for Madrid, key midfielder Eduardo Camavinga was sent off for a second booking in the final minutes and will miss the return leg at Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
Just a few crucial saves by Courtois kept the margin of defeat from becoming wider.
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“The second half was amazing, we played with full gas from the side," Merino said. "When this side plays like that the crowd go with us.”
Kylian Mbappé had Madrid's best scoring chance in the 31st when he was played through on goal by Jude Bellingham but the forward was denied by Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.
The two squads had not faced each other since 2006, when Arsenal knocked out Madrid during the round of 16. It was also the closest they have come to claiming victory in this tournament until now, only to lose against Barcelona in the finals later on.
Based on this performance, Arsenal might just become a strong competitor once more this season.
During one of the most spectacular European matches at the Emirates Stadium, which had just opened for the 2006-07 season, Arsenal put forth one of their finest displays of the campaign against a side that has claimed the UEFA Champions League title six times since 2014.
And for the first time in this competition, Madrid just couldn't find a solution.
The team, who have claimed the European title an impressive fifteen times, appeared satisfied with defending deeply and launching counters in the opening period; however, they found themselves under pressure for much of the latter stages.
Although Courtois made two impressive consecutive saves during the match, he was unable to reach either of Rice's free kicks.
"The second attempt, I felt assured. I managed to do it,” Rice stated. "I won’t feel the impact right away since there’s still another phase ahead. I am thrilled, elated, and ecstatic about it. However, in a few years, this achievement will truly sink in, realizing how significant tonight’s accomplishment actually was.”