MADRID: Arsenal secured their place in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2009 with a confident 2-1 victory over reigning champions Real Madrid on Wednesday, sealing a dominant 5-1 win on aggregate.
Having built a strong 3-0 lead in the first leg in London, the Gunners arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu with a crucial advantage and showed resilience to withstand Madrid’s attempts at a dramatic turnaround. Bukayo Saka opened the scoring despite an earlier missed penalty, and although Vinicius Junior briefly restored parity, Gabriel Martinelli struck in stoppage time to put the result beyond doubt.
The North London side will now face Paris Saint-Germain in the final four, as they continue their pursuit of a first-ever Champions League title.
“We knew we’d have to dig deep, but we also knew we had what it takes to win,” said midfielder Declan Rice, who had scored twice in the first leg. “This is a historic night for the club. Now we want to go all the way.”
Despite their legacy of comebacks in the competition, Real Madrid failed to find their rhythm against a disciplined Arsenal defense. The Spanish giants looked a shadow of the team that lifted both La Liga and Champions League trophies last season.
“We were beaten by a better team,” admitted Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Coach Carlo Ancelotti added, “Sometimes football brings joy, other times disappointment—today was the latter.”
Early in the game, Kylian Mbappé had a goal disallowed for offside and tried to ignite the Bernabeu crowd, hoping to inspire another famous comeback. However, the hosts struggled to break down Arsenal’s backline.
A surprise VAR check handed Arsenal a penalty midway through the first half, after Raul Asencio was deemed to have pulled down Mikel Merino during a corner. Saka stepped up but his attempted Panenka was comfortably saved by Courtois.
Madrid nearly responded with a penalty of their own when Mbappé went down under pressure from Rice, but VAR overturned the call after replays showed no foul.
The first half remained cagey, with Arsenal smartly slowing the game to disrupt Madrid’s rhythm. The Gunners eventually broke through in the 65th minute, as Martin Ødegaard—facing his former club—combined with Merino to set up Saka, who coolly chipped Courtois to redeem himself.
Madrid quickly responded when Vinicius pounced on a mistake by William Saliba to level the score on the night. But with their aggregate deficit still too large, their hopes took a further hit as Mbappé limped off with an ankle injury.
Martinelli sealed the win in stoppage time, converting another assist from Merino to silence the home crowd.
“I’ve never been prouder of this team,” said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. “Not just for reaching the semi-finals, but for how we got there. This performance speaks volumes about our character and ambition.”
The result marks only the third time Arsenal have reached the Champions League semi-finals and reaffirms their growing stature under Arteta’s leadership.
