Arsenal 3-0 Real Madrid: Rice’s brace and Merino’s second half goal secure win for Gunners 

Arsenal delivered a stunning performance against Real Madrid, securing a decisive 3-0 victory in their Champions League quarter-final first leg.

The second half proved pivotal, with Declan Rice showcasing his exceptional free-kick abilities by scoring twice in the 58th and 70th minutes. His first was a curling effort around the wall into the near post, leaving the goalkeeper stranded. The second was equally impressive, finding the top corner.

Mikel Merino further compounded Real Madrid’s woes, adding a third goal for Arsenal in the 75th minute. He finished off a pull-back from Myles Lewis-Skelly with a well-placed strike. Real Madrid struggled to create clear-cut chances throughout the match.

Kylian Mbappe was denied by Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya on a couple of occasions in the first half. The frustration for the Spanish giants was evident when Eduardo Camavinga received a second yellow card in added time for kicking the ball away.

Rice had cleared up Jover’s gesture to Amazon and ruined some of his mystique in the process. “We were planning on crossing the ball, but I spoke to Bukayo and he said to me if you’re feeling it, take it. I saw the wall and the keeper and it didn’t make sense to cross it.

“Nicolas Jover kept telling me to cross it but Bukayo told me to take it. I took control and I told B ‘I’m going to hit this’.”