- Arsenal beat Real Madrid 3-0 to seize the advantage in the quarter-final tie
- Bellingham admitted that Real Madrid were 'far from their best' in the match against the Gunners.
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Jude Bellingham has given a damning assessment of Real Madrid's performance against Arsenal By acknowledging they were 'fortunate' to have conceded just three goals in their match. Champions League quarter-final first leg.
The current European champions faced a 3-0 defeat at the Emirates, leaving their title defense teetering on a thin thread.
Declan Rice delivered two remarkable second-half free kicks to give Arsenal a 2-0 lead, followed by Mikel Merino scoring a third goal for the home team.
Bellingham from Real Madrid acknowledged after the match that the outcome might have been even more unfavorable. Los Blancos .
The England midfielder claimed the Spanish giants were 'nowhere near it' on the night and conceded they now need something 'unbelievably special' to turn the tie around.
'Bellingham stated to Amazon Prime, "We weren’t anywhere close to them; that’s the truth. Arsenal was truly impressive." He continued, "They scored two excellent free-kicks, yet honestly, they might have netted many more."'
'However, there’s a second leg remaining, we’re clinging to it, and we’ll require something incredibly extraordinary.'
'True, one can't predict the future, yet I cannot go so far as to declare we'll surrender because giving up doesn’t align with what this club stands for or how it shapes your mindset.'
'These free kicks showcase individual brilliance. Even without them, they created several opportunities, and we were penalized for it, which is inevitable.'
We got an opportunity, yet these matches require generating additional chances. It’s quite rare to advance after scoring just once at this venue.
We simply weren't effective enough; we made numerous advances into the final third, yet they responded appropriately, and we failed to make the most of our possessions.
We're still kicking, got 90 more minutes to go.
Real Madrid must deliver an impressive comeback against Arsenal in the second leg to advance to the final four of the tournament.
Carlo Ancelotti's team will welcome Arsenal to the Santiago Bernabeu on April 16 for their match.
The victors from the quarter-final match will go on to compete against either PSG or Aston Villa in the semi-finals.
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