UCL review: Rice that was magical! Arsenal’s set-piece wonders are back

As Declan Rice was about to take his first 30-yard free kick that set him on a golden stage, his set-piece coach Nicolas Jover was tiptoeing like a kindergarten tutor who’s watching his favourites ballet dancers showcase their long hours of practice to the world. Would he make the audience wowed? Or another not-so-good moment may have been rumbling in the mind of the technical crew of Mikel Arteta and the players.

What will Rice do? Will he shoot it directly or set the ball like every other Arsenal way for a teammate? But Rice took the illogical way to make a statement that will linger till the end of the Champions League. Arteta had already pleaded with his players to produce “magic moments” against Real Madrid; what Rice did was overly expected.

Arsenal finished the game in the 70th minute after Rice’s second jaw-breaking free kick that bashed Madrid’s ego and legend, Roberto Carlos, at the Emirates. Merino put ice on it for Madrid to seek more than they could chew.

Rice’s free kick reminded me of my high school days during a light reflection physics practical, where you see the other end of the line from your rectangular or triangular glass prism. He saw Thibaut Courtois with the lens of the wall that was set by the goalkeeper.

Rice made a jaw-breaking set-piece

Declan Rice scored his first professional direct free kick goal against a top side, Madrid, to break a four-year jinx. The last time Arsenal scored a direct free-kick was in September 2021 against Burnley by Martin Ødegaard. The English midfielder then set a record as the first player to score two in the UCL knockout stage and fifth in total. The last player to do such was Hakim Ziyech against Manchester United in 2023.

Rice tried to explain that his previously latent set-piece talent came from the challenge to be better at the skill. “It’s been in the locker, but I’ve hit the wall too many times, or it’s gone over the bar.

“Originally, for the first one, we were going to cross it — but then I saw the wall and the goalkeeper’s position, and I thought, ‘Just go for it’. Bukayo said to feel it. And I see the outside of the wall, and it went in.”

The second one was done from the confidence of a successful first attempt, Rice stated. “The second one, I had the confidence and I hit it. I’m over the moon. In a few years, I’ll realize that what I’ve done tonight is really special.”

This is an awakening for Arsenal, who have scored relatively fewer goals from dead balls compared to last season. The Gunners scored 20 in the 2023-2024 season and 12 so far in the ongoing season.

If there was a highlight to pick from the game against Real Madrid, it’s certainly Declan Rice’s masterpiece that kept critics shut and reduced haters ahead of the next fixtures.