Arsenal 3-0 Real Madrid: Gunners in dreamland after demolishing Champions League holder 

Rice’s Stunning Free-Kicks Give Arsenal 3-0 lead heading to Madrid

An unforgettable brace of pinpoint free kicks from Declan Rice, plus a vital strike from Mikel Merino, sees Arsenal dominate Real Madrid 3-0 at the Emirates.

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Arsenal head to Madrid 3-0 up on aggregate after a dominant display at the Emirates.

Despite the Emirates atmosphere, and Arsenal’s (slim) majority possession the first half ended goal-less, with Arsenal’s strong structure and a consistent start from David Raya keeping out Madrid’s pacy waves of attack.

Bukayo Saka’s threatening balls into the box saw no one on the end of them, but chances came with shots on target from Declan Rice and Gabriel Martinelli, prompting a double save from Madrid’s Courtois.

A challenge on Saka rewarded Arsenal with a free kick outside the box in the 57th minute, and Declan Rice curling the ball around the Madrid defence, his powerful hit sending the Gunners 1-0 up, finally rewarding them for their performance.

Arsenal players lined up to shoot, causing Courtois to make multiple saves. The Gunners piling on the pressure before being given another free kick which saw Rice slot the ball in the top corner, scoring his second direct free kick of the game.

Minutes later, a ball from Myles Lewis-Skelly found Mikel Merino who slotted home Arsenal’s third goal from the edge of the box.

The Gunners kept Madrid quiet for the remainder of the game, giving themselves a comfortable lead going into the second leg after an emphatic home victory this evening.

FT: Arsenal 3-0 Real Madrid. I’ve been to the majority of matches here at the Emirates since it opened back in 2006 even during Covid I reported on games here. And I can safely say tonight has been the best match in the history of his stadium. An incredible performance and result pic.twitter.com/0ots9ckdE1

— Layth (@laythy29) April 8, 2025