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Former Arsenal defender Giovanni van Bronckhorst has claimed that Declan Rice's first free-kick in their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Real Madrid was not special. He agreed with Wesley Sneijder's claim that the goal was possible due to a mistake by Los Blancos.
Speaking on Ziggo Sports, former Los Blancos midfielder Sneijder stated that Rice's first goal was normal for any right-footed player. He added that the Real Madrid wall was not positioned properly, as Thibaut Courtois believed the free-kick would be taken by Bukayo Saka. He said (via METRO):
"That wall wasn’t positioned properly for that first goal. He [Courtois] assumes that [Bukayo] Saka will take it, he is a left-footer. Then he can move the wall a bit more to the right, so that he can take his own corner. A right-footed player should never be able to shoot around the wall from that angle. That’s not allowed. It seems a bit crazy what I’m going to say now. This seems very difficult, but for a right-footed player this is very easy. If you have a good strike then this is a very easy ball. When you are on the pitch, you see that the ball has to go around the wall on that side. The wall was too far to the left."
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Former Arsenal star Van Bronckhorst was quick to agree with the Dutchman and added:
"I think Wesley is right. The wall is too far to the right and he can shoot it past it. It’s easy to shoot a ball like that."
Declan Rice scored two stunning free-kicks as Arsenal won 3-0 against Real Madrid on Tuesday, April 8, at the Emirates Stadium. Mikel Merino scored the third goal of the game in the 75th minute and Los Blancos had no reply.
Wesley Sneijder not impressed with Declan Rice's second free-kick in Arsenal vs Real Madrid
Wesley Sneijder refused to give credit to Declan Rice for his second free-kick as well and claimed that Thibaut Courtois made a mistake with his positioning. He stated that the Real Madrid goalkeeper made a mistake by moving to his right while the ball was struck towards his left. He said (via METRO):
"I would like to make a side note here. This one is quite far. If you watch the replay, you see Courtois take a step to the right. As a result, he has no chance in his own corner. That’s because of the uncertainty of that first goal. He hops up, no chance, bye, then you’re gone. If he stands in his own corner and trusts his wall, he’ll save it.."
The second leg of the quarterfinal tie will be contested at the Santiago Bernabeau on Wednesday, April 16.
