Bukayo Saka recovered from an early penalty miss to send Arsenal into the Champions League semi-finals. The Gunners held a three-goal lead over Real Madrid from the first leg heading into Wednesday’s trip to the Bernabeu.
They had the chance to extend that lead just 13 minutes into the second leg when Mikel Merino was brought down at a corner. Saka stepped up to take the spot-kick but his horrendous decision to attempt a panenka led to Thibaut Courtois saving it.
A dreadful Madrid side thought they had their own penalty 10 minutes later when Kylian Mbappe claimed to have been brought down by Declan Rice. Referee François Letexier originally agreed with the Frenchman but overturned his decision after a five-minute VAR review.
The tie was ended as a contest with 25 minutes to go when Saka chipped over Courtois from close range. Vincius did pull a goal back almost virtually from the restart, when the William Saliba gifted him the ball, allowing the Brazilian to fire into an empty net.
Gabriel Martinelli wrapped things up in stoppage time after breaking clear with Mikel Arteta’s side now facing PSG in the final four for a place in the final at Munich’s Allianz Arena. Here, Mirror Football looks at the biggest talking points from Wednesday’s clash.
It has been 16 years since Arsenal were last in the semi-finals of the Champions League. That wait has now finally been ended with a statement win over Real Madrid.
The Gunners will now face PSG in the final four, with the French giants having survived a second-leg comeback from Aston Villa. The duo are the two favourites, with Barcelona and Inter Milan the two other semi-finalists.
Arsenal’s run in the 2009 knockouts was ended by Manchester United. Mikel Arteta will be hoping to avoid the same fate in his side’s clash with PSG as they bid for a place in May’s final.
With just 13 minutes gone, Bukayo Saka was handed a prime chance to put the tie all but beyond Real Madrid. The winger was handed the ball to take a penalty after the Gunners were rewarded a spot-kick.
Referee François Letexier reviewed VAR’s pitchside monitor before pointing to the spot after Mikel Merino was brought down at a corner. While it looked like Martin Odegaard may take it, Saka was ultimately handed the responsibility.
But in a ridiculous move given the stakes, the England international opted to try to chip Thibaut Courtois. It was a horrendous decision with the ball not even going down the middle, inside hitting Courtois on the leg and bouncing out for a corner.
Ten minutes after Saka’s miss, Letexier awarded a penalty to Madrid after judging Declan Rice to have brought down Kylian Mbappe. Replays suggested that was the wrong call, with VAR Jérôme Brisard reviewing the decision.
The review turned into a farce though, ultimately lasting more than five minutes. Rice pleaded his innocence throughout, having also been booked by Letexier.
Rice was left relieved when the referee reviewed the pitchside monitor and decided to overturn his decision. Even so it showed once again the major limitations of the current VAR system.
Holding a three-goal lead from the first leg, it is little surprise Arsenal acted to protect it at all costs. They had just 34 percent of the possession in the first-half as Real Madrid dominated.
But that dominance did not translate into clear-cut chances, with Madrid failing to muster up a shot on target before half-time. In fact Arsenal were more dangerous going forward, forcing Courtois into a number of stops.
The Belgian’s opposite number showcased the tactics Arsenal were out to deploy, with David Raya frequently taking as much time as possible before taking goal kicks. He was even booked nine minutes before the break for time-wasting.
Having scored two of Arsenal’s three goals in the first leg, Declan Rice showed his defensive abilities to protect that lead. The Englishman was a colossus in midfield at the Bernabeu, winning his battle against Jude Bellingham.
Two key moments in the second-half showed Rice’s importance to Mikel Arteta’s side. First, Bellingham broke into the box and was gearing up to shoot, but Rice got back in time to block it out for a corner.
With 30 minutes remaining, he shut down a threatening counter-attack from Madrid by easily intercepting Federico Valverde’s pass towards Vinicius. Rice ended up making four interceptions, four recoveries and he played a key role in Saka’s goal to cement his leading place in Arsenal’s team.
Having spurned his chance from the penalty spot in the first-half, some would be forgiven for thinking Saka’s confidence may collapse. But the winger bounced back from his disappointment to consistently terrorise Madrid left-back David Alaba.
He then delivered the crucial opening goal which all but assured Arsenal of their semi-final place. Saka was played through by Mikel Merino, with the Englishman casually lifting the ball over Courtois and into the net.
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