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Arsenal secured a late 2-1 win against Real Madrid in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, April 16.
The Gunners advance to the semi-finals with a resounding 5-1 aggregate win against the 15-time UCL winners, where they will face Paris Saint-Germain over two legs.
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Both Arsenal and Real Madrid made strong starts to the first half with the hosts backed by a loud Santiago Bernabeu stadium. The Gunners were handed an opportunity to put some daylight between themselves and Los Blancos as Raul Asencio conceded a penalty. Bukayo Saka stepped up and saw his cheeky Panenka penalty saved by Thibaut Courtois.
Real Madrid looked to build momentum as they dominated possession and looked to make inroads into Arsenal territory. Kylian Mbappe seemed to have earned his team a penalty after an entanglement with Declan Rice midway through the first half. However, the decision was reversed after a lengthy VAR review. Neither team created a decent enough chance as they were deadlocked at 0-0 at half-time.
The second half saw Real Madrid take a fearless approach to their play as they pushed forward in numbers. Both Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe were highly involved in their moves as they looked for a way back into the contest. However, Bukayo Saka's lovely run was picked out by Mikel Merino as the winger scored to make it 1-0 to Arsenal after 65 minutes.
A mistake from William Saliba saw Vinicius pounce and score to make it 1-1 on the night and 1-4 on aggregate just two minutes later. Carlo Ancelotti and Real Madrid threw everything at Arsenal but could not find a way back into the contest. The Gunners, on the other hand, were not satisfied with a draw. Gabriel Martinelli broke through late in the game and scored with a composed finish to secure victory.
On that note, here are the Gunners' player ratings.
Arsenal Player Ratings
David Raya - 7/10
Raya made two decent saves to keep Arsenal ahead in the contest, but also picked up a needless yellow card for time-wasting in the first half.
Jurrien Timber - 7/10
Timber put in a composed performance and was solid at the back, but also took the odd chance to make runs forward in support of the attack.
William Saliba - 6.5/10
Saliba had a good game overall but made a string of errors in the second half, including one that led to a Real Madrid goal. He won five duels and made two interceptions.
Jakub Kiwior - 7.5/10
Kiwior made most Arsenal fans forget about Gabriel's absence over these two legs with a solid performance. He won three duels, made five clearances and blocked two shots.
Myles Lewis-Skelly - 7/10
Lewis-Skelly put in another encouraging performance at one of the toughest stadiums in world football. He won nine duels, made five clearances and two interceptions as well.
Martin Odegaard - 7/10
Odegaard showed his brilliance in bursts against his former club but also made a series of poor decisions in the final third. He almost redeemed himself with a late strike that was parried away by Courtois.
Thomas Partey - 7.5/10
Partey was crucial for Arsenal in midfield as he controlled the play and also acted as a much-needed stopper. He won four duels, made three blocks and played one key pass.
Declan Rice - 7.5/10
Rice passed the ball with 96% accuracy, including two key passes. He also won four duels, making three clearances, two blocks, four interceptions and two tackles.
Bukayo Saka - 7.5/10
Saka had another strong performance since returning from injury and scored an all-important goal to put Arsenal 4-0 up on aggregate.
Mikel Merino - 8.5/10
Merino produced two vital contributions as his assists were the difference between a calm Gunners progression and a Los Blancos comeback.
Gabriel Martinelli - 7.5/10
Martinelli looked slightly off-color early in the match but kept trying and persevering for a contribution. The Brazilian eventually bagged the winner for his team after 93 minutes.
Substitutes
Leandro Trossard, Kieran Tierney, Benjamin White & Oleksandr Zinchenko - N/A
All four substitutes came on with very little time to play and did not make any significant contritbutions.
