Arsenal sealed their place in the Champions League semi-finals with a composed 2-1 win over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, completing a convincing 5-1 aggregate victory on Wednesday night.
Coming into the second leg with a 3-0 lead from the first leg, the Gunners extinguished any hopes of a Real Madrid comeback with Bukayo Saka’s 65th-minute goal, which all but ended the tie. Although Vinicius Junior quickly responded with a goal after a rare defensive lapse, Real’s efforts fell short as Gabriel Martinelli added a stoppage-time goal to confirm Arsenal’s dominance.
Arsenal now head into their first Champions League semi-final since 2009, where they will face Paris Saint-Germain.
“This is a historic night for the club,” said midfielder Declan Rice, who had shone in the first leg with two free-kick goals. “There was a lot of talk about Real Madrid’s comebacks, but we had full belief we could come here and win.”
Despite the typically electric Bernabeu atmosphere at kickoff, Real Madrid failed to deliver the sort of miraculous turnaround they’ve become known for. Ancelotti’s side were outplayed across both legs and managed few real chances throughout.
“We maybe fell short in pure football terms,” admitted Real captain Lucas Vázquez. “They’re a very well-organised team defensively.”
Early signs hinted at Real’s intentions, with Kylian Mbappé finding the net in the opening minutes, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. Arsenal, however, refused to sit back and looked threatening going forward. Saka forced a key save from Thibaut Courtois before Arsenal were awarded a penalty after Raul Asencio brought down Mikel Merino in the box. Saka’s cheeky Panenka attempt was saved by Courtois, which briefly lifted the home crowd.
Soon after, Real were controversially awarded a penalty when Mbappé went down under light contact from Rice. VAR intervened again, leading to the decision being overturned.
From that point on, Arsenal were in control. David Raya remained largely untested in goal during the first half, as Real’s crossing strategy bore no fruit. Saka eventually opened the scoring with a composed finish following a slick pass from Merino. Although William Saliba’s error gifted Vinicius a goal, Arsenal remained calm and finished strong with Martinelli’s breakaway goal in injury time.
The result not only knocks out the defending champions but also signals Arsenal’s return as a European force.
