UCL: Declan Rice shines as Arsenal thrashes Real Madrid 3-0 at Emirates

Declan Rice stunned football fans across the globe on Tuesday night as he netted two sensational free-kicks to help Arsenal secure a resounding 3-0 victory over defending champions Real Madrid in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final at the Emirates Stadium.

Rice, who had never scored a free-kick in his career before this match, delivered two unstoppable strikes that even Real Madrid’s reliable shot-stopper Thibaut Courtois couldn’t come close to saving.

The England midfielder’s brilliant brace left the Spanish giants rattled and the Arsenal crowd in euphoria.

Mikel Merino added a third goal to cap off a dominant performance by the Gunners, who looked sharp, aggressive, and tactically astute from start to finish.

Real Madrid’s night went from bad to worse when Eduardo Camavinga received a late red card for dissent after kicking the ball away in frustration.

Arsenal’s mature display completely exposed Real Madrid’s injury-hit squad and defensive vulnerabilities.

Despite early threats from Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, Real’s frontline failed to make a significant impact as Arsenal grew in confidence.

The Gunners, aiming to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2009, will head to the Santiago Bernabeu on April 16 with a commanding lead and the belief that this might be their year.

Mikel Arteta, who had dubbed the tie the “biggest night” of his managerial career, watched his side rise to the occasion with poise and purpose.

With Arsenal trailing Liverpool in the Premier League title race, the Champions League now represents their best shot at major silverware since lifting the FA Cup in 2020.

Arsenal almost doubled their lead shortly after Rice’s first goal, with Courtois denying Gabriel Martinelli and Mikel Merino in a frantic goalmouth scramble. But there was no stopping the North Londoners. Rice returned in the 70th minute with another exquisite free-kick, this time from 20 yards, that flew into the top corner, leaving Courtois stranded once again.

The Emirates erupted moments later when Merino finished clinically from 12 yards out, sealing a historic night that might just go down as one of the club’s greatest European performances.

Real Madrid, winners of the Champions League a record 15 times, looked completely out of sorts. They have now suffered 11 defeats in all competitions this season and trail rivals Barcelona in La Liga.

As the final whistle blew, chants of “Declan Rice, we got him half praise” echoed through the stadium, a nod to his £105 million transfer fee, which now looks like a bargain.

Arsenal are now firm favourites to progress to the semi-finals, where they would face either Paris Saint-Germain or Aston Villa. And after a night like this, no one will want to face them.