ARSENAL have secured their spot in the Champions League semi-finals with a 5-1 aggregate win over Real Madrid
In the first half, Thibaut Courtois denied Bukayo Saka from the penalty spot after a lengthy VAR check handed the Gunners a spot kick on 13 minutes.
Real were given a penalty of their own minutes later for a Declan Rice foul on Kylian Mbappe, but the referee decided against his initial decision after going to the monitor, and Arsenal survived.
Just after the hour mark, Saka opened the scoring on the night with a superb dinked finish, but the Gunners’ four-goal aggregate lead didn’t last long.
A William Saliba howler gave Vinicius Jr an open goal – and the Brazilian made no mistake.
In stoppage time, Gabriel Martinelli put the gloss on his side’s spectacular display with a stunning finish to give the North London giants a 2-1 win (agg 5-1) at the Bernabeu.
Arsenal are now in their first Champions League semi-final since 2009 and will take on PSG in a blockbuster last-four tie.
- Match result: Real Madrid 1-2 (agg 1-5) Arsenal
- Real Madrid team: Courtois, Vazquez, Rudiger, Asencio, Alaba, Tchouameni, Valverde, Bellingham, Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr, Mbappe
- Arsenal team: Raya, Lewis-Skelly, Kiwior, Saliba, Timber, Partey, Rice, Odegaard, Martinelli, Merino, Saka
- Match report
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‘Lazy Panenka’ – more Spanish media reaction to Saka penalty
Marca was equally dismissive over Saka’s miss, writing: “Saka took over and was overly clever. Lazy Panenka and a hand from Courtois.”
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‘They did almost nothing’
Real veteran Lucas Vazquez, pictured below, who captained the side of much of the night, took a swipe at the Gunners, insisting Arsenal “did nothing” in the first half.
He had this to say in his post-match interview.
“It’s a difficult moment. I think we tried today. It was a complicated match. We didn’t have all the chances we would have liked,” he told Movistar +. “We didn’t lose sight of the goal. There were interruptions [but] it didn’t happen.”
“Maybe we lacked more clarity. More patience,” he added. “They came to defend, to play their role. In the first half, they did almost nothing. In the second, with the team pressing, they found the victory.”
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‘Horrible’ – Spanish media on Saka’s penalty
A few media outlets in Spain have had a go at Saka, with AS even calling his penalty “horrible”.
Bukayo Saka looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him up as his penalty was saved early on in this game, with Courtois going the right way – and with all the time in the world to save it.
AS wrote: “Courtois kept the dream of a comeback hot in the first half by saving a penalty from Saka, although the Englishman collaborated by shooting it horribly.
“But the Belgian guessed the side and stuck out his hand.”
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Torrid time for Carlo – media reaction
The Real Madrid manager has a record in the Champions League that anyone would be envious of.
With rumours circulating that this is his last season with the club, it will hurt the Italian to go out of the competition in this manner.
He will have been aiming for a sixteenth trophy for his team as the perfect sign-off but that is not to be.
We’ll bring you all the reaction from the Spanish media this morning.
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Welcome to the Sun’s Real Madrid-Arsenal live blog
Thanks for following us. We’ll keep you posted – see what we did there – with all the latest news and reaction to last night’s win for the Gunners at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid.
To kick things off – OK, we’ll stop now – here’s a pic of Mikel Merino celebrating the historic victory.
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Chance to write your name in history
Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal squad have the chance to do something that will for ever live on in the club’s history.
Rival fans taunt Gunners’ supporters for their lack of European trophies over the years.
Now, planning for a Champions League semi-final, the North London outfit have the chance to do something very special.
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Youngster shows he is ‘big-time’
Myles Lewis-Skelly went to the cauldron that is the Bernabeu this evening and showed he had the minerals to perform.
Despite the attacking threat of the Spanish outfit, he was solid and ensured there was no danger coming down his flank.
It has been some rise to stardom for the youngster but he will be enjoying every minute of it.
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Brazilian steps up to the plate
Despite impressive performances, the one thing you can be critical of in the career of Gabriel Martinelli is his goal return.
Scoring the winner at the Bernabeu this evening should be the confidence boost the winger needs to kick on.
It was the perfect icing on the cake to a superb performance in Madrid for The Gunners in the process.
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Mikel needing to manage squad
With attentions now turning to their Champions League semi-final, it is important to keep his key players fit.
The Premier League is gone, with Liverpool 13 points clear at the top, so Arsenal can rest some of their big-hitters.
Mikel Arteta has the chance to make this a season to remember in North London but it will not be easy with PSG being the first hurdle for them to do it.
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No longer the Bell of the ball
Jude Bellingham will feel this defeat more than anyone.
To lose to an English team and be outclassed by his compatriot Rice in the middle of the park will be tough to take.
What defines great players is how they learn from these moments and come back stronger, something Bellingham will need to do now.
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Arteta with chance to silence critics
Having spent over £650m on transfers as Arsenal manager, many have questioned the trophy haul from the Spaniard.
However, if they were to go on and win the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history, all of that would be forgotten.
The Premier League is gone, there is no catching Liverpool, meaning The Gunners can now focus on Europe.
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From zero to hero at Bernabeu
Bukayo Saka looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him up as his panenka penalty was saved early on in this game.
The winger showed great temperament to not dwell on it and put in the shift his team really needed tonight.
Scoring the goal that gave The Gunners the lead in Spain, you could see just how much this win meant to him on the final whistle.
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Lightning strikes twice in Madrid
There is no argument as to who was the stand-out player over the two-legs in this Champions League quarter-final.
Declan Rice put in another man-of-the-match performance to grab his second accolade in as many games.
Arsenal will need this form to continue if they are to stand any chance of dumping tournament favourites PSG out in the semi-finals.
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Night to forget for Carlo
Real Madrid manager has a record in the Champions League that anyone would be envious of.
With rumours circulating that this is his last season with the club, it will hurt the Italian to go out of the competition in this manner.
He will have been aiming for a sixteenth trophy for his team as the perfect sign-off but that is not to be and he will no doubt face the wrath of the Spanish media tomorrow.
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Thomas puts bad spin on Madrid Partey
Considering the three-goal lead The Gunners had late on in the game, it was silly when Partey picked up a yellow card for his involvement in a fracas with Ceballos.
The booking means that the Arsenal man will miss the first-leg of their semi-final with PSG now.
Not that Mikel Arteta will be dwelling on that this evening, The Gunners will be celebrating long into the night.
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Gunners need to do it the hard way
If Arsenal are to win their first-ever Champions League trophy this season, they will certainly have earnt it.
Paris Saint-Germain await Mikel Arteta’s side in the semi-finals, with many having Luis Enrique’s team as the favourites to win the trophy.
The Gunners will go into that full of confidence, feeling like they are capable of beating anyone left in the competition.
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Boss in dreamland at Bernabeu
Speaking with TNT Sports, The Gunners’ manager gave his thoughts on this truly memorable evening:
One of the best nights in my football career for sure. To be able to win in the manner we have done it, we have to be really proud of ourselves. It is my first time on that touchline, you realise anything can happen in this stadium. I think overall we did what we had to do to win the game. We are really hungry, we want more and this is a young team. We had full belief that we could beat this team and we did it.
Mikel Arteta
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Rice on penalty incident
The Arsenal midfielder was involved in an incident with Kylian Mbappe in the first half.
Rice was initially adjudged to have fouled the French superstar in the box, but the referee changed his mind after consulting the monitor.
On the incident, Rice said: “I knew it wasn’t a penalty. I had my arm on him but you have to do that in the box.
“I’m an honest guy, I said to him [Mbappe] it’s not a pen, I would admit it if I pulled him down.
“He fell to the floor and I was confident it would get overturned. We had to stay calm as we were a bit naive at times but it’s a historic night for the club. Very special.”
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Rice – ‘We knew we was going to win’
Declan Rice, the player of the tie, spoke to TNT Sports after his side’s monumental triumph, he said: “It’s such a special night, a historic club.
“We have an objective of playing the best and winning the competition.
“We had so much belief and confidence from that first leg and come here to win the game. We knew we was going to suffer but we knew we was going to win. We had it in our minds then we did it real life. What a night.
“I knew when I signed this club was on an upward trajectory. It’s been tough in the Premier League but in this competition we’ve done amazingly well.
“This club is going to do some special things over the next few years – we have trust in this manager and we’ve got played like Lewis-Skelly coming through.
“A great mix. It’s PSG next who are an amazing team.”
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Spaniard upsets odds in homeland
Mikel Merino played a key part in tonight’s victory in Madrid.
His insightful passing created both goals and secued their passage to the Champions League semi-finals.
It has been a great first season for the Spaniard in North London and he will feel there is plenty left to do to bring some silverware to the capital.
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Rice cooked to perfection
Declan Rice really stepped up to the plate for The Gunners in both legs against Real Madrid.
He never looked like he did not have enough in the tank and covered so much ground for Arsenal.
His box to box performances shutdown the attacking threat of Bellingham and was integral to this huge win for Mikel Arteta’s side.
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View from SunSport’s Jordan Davies in Madrid
One of the greatest nights in the club’s history.
A battering at the Bernabeu, and hardly breaking a sweat.
All roads lead to Paris… and then Munich?
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Match report
Relive all the action from the Bernabeu as the Gunners book their spot in the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2009.
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Madrid humbled in their own backyard
Expectations are high when you pull on that Real Madrid shirt.
Despite being three goals down from the first-leg, their fans still expected them to progress this evening.
They were not at the races whatsoever and failed to test The Gunners, who made this win look comfortable.
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Gunners firing on all cylinders
What a night in Madrid this is for Arsenal.
Nobody gave them a chance of progressing to the semi-finals but they have proved many people wrong.
Their performances over the two-legs has earned their place in the semi-finals and you can see just how much it means to this squad.
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