During the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal, Arsenal showed no signs of fearing Real Madrid. Declan Rice’s night was a dream come true for the Gunners, who defeated Real Madrid 3-0 at the Emirates.
Rice gave Mikel Arteta’s team a much-needed three-goal lead to carry to the Bernabeu with two direct free kicks before Mikel Merino added a third. On paper, any side would be intimidated by Real Madrid’s stellar roster, yet Arsenal emerged as the first leg’s main attraction.
Jude Bellingham’s biggest surprise regarding Arsenal Before the match, Ben White was afraid of Vinicius Junior, but the Brazilian wasn’t the only Galactico whose name was somewhat significant.
Jude Bellingham was unable to impact the game despite starting in midfield with Luka Modric and Eduardo Camavinga, who was sent off. In an interview with Amazon Prime Video following the match, Bellingham acknowledged that Real Madrid was “lucky” to have allowed no more than three goals. “We didn’t get close to it. That’s the reality, and Arsenal was excellent,” he stated.
“They could have had many more goals, but I know that two of them were free kicks and excellent individual deliveries. We’re fortunate to escape with three. However, we are clinging to the idea that there is a second leg. We will require something extraordinary, truly extraordinary. Even if Arsenal supporters should have a night to celebrate, the match is still ongoing with a second leg to go. However, based on Bellingham’s analysis, Real Madrid is ready to win if the first-leg performance is repeated at the Bernabeu.
Arsenal was in control. Real Madrid Bellingham maintained that, based on a review of the game’s statistics, Arsenal could have scored more than three goals.
Statistic Arsenal Real Madrid
Possession 54% 46%
Expected goals (xG) 1.51 xG 0.50 xG
Big chances 2 0
Shots 12 9
Shots on target 11 3
Arsenal vs Real Madrid statistics via Sofascore
Arsenal controlled possession and were the better side going forward, firing 12 shots on goal, 11 of which were on target.
Contrastingly, only three of Real Madrid’s nine shots were on target, on what was a surprisingly routine night for David Raya.
The Galacticos will return to Madrid wounded by the Gunners, with a spot in the semi-final at stake when the second leg gets underway at the Bernabeu
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