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Football legend David Beckham has shared his thoughts on Arsenal knocking Real Madrid out of the UEFA Champions League on a 5-1 aggregate win in the quarter-finals. The Gunners individually won both legs with a 3-0 victory in the first game at the Emirates (April 8) and a 2-1 win at the Santiago Bernabeu in the second leg (April 16).
After Arsenal's triumph, fans and pundits considered Declan Rice one of the main architects of the victory. The Englishman scored two consecutive free-kicks against Real Madrid in the first leg and continued his stupendous form in the second leg. Further, Myles Lewis-Skelly also delivered an exceptional show in the second leg. However, the Gunners' overall performance led them to comfortably beat the 15-time UCL champions to secure a place in the semi-finals.
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In an interview with CBS, former Real Madrid superstar David Beckham weighed in on Arsenal knocking out the Spanish giants from the Champions League. Beckham was notably a part of Los Blancos' iconic Galacticos era between 2003 and 2007. He said (via TBR Football):
"A lot of people actually expected a bit of a comeback, that’s what they were saying in Madrid leading up to it. In all honesty, over the two games, Arsenal deserved it. It was the complete performance from Arsenal, great individual performances, great team performance, and great management from Mikel, so they deserved it."
David Beckham made 159 appearances for Real Madrid, recording 20 goals and 51 assists across competitions. He has won one LaLiga title and one Spanish Super Cup (Supercopa de España) with the Spanish side. He left the side to sign for MLS side LA Galaxy in 2007.
"It’s a historic night for this club" - Arsenal star Declan Rice says their objective is to win the Champions League after knocking out Real Madrid
In his post-match interview with TNT Sports, Arsenal hero Declan Rice made it clear that the Gunners will now aim to win the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their club's history. After knocking out the holding champions Real Madrid, he said (via The Mirror):
"It’s a historic night for this club. We have an objective in this competition – we want to play the best teams and win this competition. There was a lot of talk about them coming back because they’ve done it so many times before."
Rice added:
"But we had a belief and confidence that we’d win the game. We had it in our mind, and we did it in real life. What a night for the club. Before I came to the club I sensed we were on an upward trajectory."
Rice's comments make sense, as many believed Los Blancos could pull off a comeback like they've done multiple times previously in this tournament. However, they could not stop the North London side from reaching the UCL semi-finals for the first time since the 2008-09 season.
Meanwhile, it marked the first time Los Merengues were knocked out in the UCL quarter-finals since against Monaco in 2004. Real Madrid will now focus on winning LaLiga and the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona. Arsenal, on the other hand, will face Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the Champions League semi-finals.
