Real Madrid 1 – 2 Arsenal
Was the pressure of writing another fairytale comeback too much for the most successful club in Europe to handle?
The desperate attempt to recover from a three-goal deficit briefly showed in the faces of Mbappé and Vinícius, but it had no impact on their performance. Arsenal, with a revived mindset and superb performance, defeated the record Champions League winners again and secured a spot in the semifinals.
At the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday night in the return leg of the quarterfinals, Arsenal won 2-1. With a 5-1 aggregate lead, Arsenal advanced to the Champions League semifinals for the first time since 2009. They had won the first leg 3-0.
While Real Madrid came out hoping to write another epic comeback, they were unable to create even the slightest chance in the entire match. Instead, they fell behind due to Bukayo Saka’s goal. Although Vinícius Junior equalized almost immediately, the team couldn’t shake off their sluggishness.
In the dying moments of the match, Gabriel Martinelli’s goal sparked celebrations for Mikel Arteta’s side.
The match began with an offside goal from Mbappé in the second minute after Vinícius crossed the ball. In the following minute, the Brazilian forward tried to find Mbappé in the box, but the attempt was unsuccessful.
Arsenal launched two promising attacks in the next four minutes. Bukayo Saka, who had an outstanding performance in the first leg, took two shots—one went wide, and the other was saved by Thibaut Courtois for a corner.
From that corner, Arsenal had a golden opportunity to progress further. The ball came into Courtois’ gloves, but Real Madrid’s defender Raúl Asensio fouled Mikel Merino just outside the six-yard box. Initially unnoticed by the referee, the VAR review led to a penalty being awarded.
However, Saka missed the penalty, with Courtois stopping his weak spot kick to keep Real Madrid in the game.
In the 23rd minute, a challenge by Arsenal’s Declan Rice led to Mbappé falling in the box, and the referee immediately pointed to the penalty spot. However, after an extended VAR review, the decision was overturned as no foul had occurred.
As the game progressed, it became evident that Real Madrid’s attacking chemistry was lacking, and their individual performances also failed to impress. Arsenal, on the other hand, solidified their defense. Despite taking six shots in the first half, Real Madrid couldn’t hit the target.
Before halftime, Courtois was tested again when Gabriel Martinelli’s shot from a tight angle was saved, keeping Madrid’s hopes alive.
In the 56th minute, Real Madrid had their first shot on target, but Vinícius slowed down instead of charging forward after receiving a pass from Jude Bellingham. His weak shot was easily saved by the goalkeeper. A minute later, Rodrygo’s corner was headed toward goal, but David Raya saved it by sending the ball over the crossbar.
In the 61st minute, Carlo Ancelotti made three changes, bringing on Dani Ceballos, Fran García, and Endrick for Rodrygo, David Alaba, and Lucas Vázquez.
With fresh legs on the field, Real Madrid seemed ready to fight back, but just four minutes later, Arsenal struck again. A brilliant through ball from Merino found Saka in the box, who calmly chipped the ball over Courtois to make it 1-0 for Arsenal.
At that point, the match seemed all but over.
However, just as Arsenal seemed to be cruising, a major mistake by defender William Saliba allowed Vinícius to steal the ball from him and score with a powerful shot, leveling the match at 1-1.
Vinícius tried to rally his teammates and the crowd responded, but that was as far as it went. Real Madrid failed to push forward, and in the third minute of added time, Arsenal sealed the win. Martinelli latched onto Merino’s through ball and scored the decisive goal.
Arsenal will face Paris Saint-Germain in their fight for a place in the final.
