Rice makes history as Arsenal beat Real Madrid in Champions League

Football writer Daniel Edwards assesses how Arsenal stunned Real Madrid 3-0 in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg at Emirates Stadium.

It’s no secret that Arsenal have developed into the most dangerous dead-ball threat in the country since the hiring of set-piece coach Nicolas Jover from Manchester City in 2021.

But surely in this instance, Jover cannot be credited with Declan Rice’s sudden transformation into David Beckham on this famous evening at the Emirates Stadium.

Rice had a combined 338 appearances for West Ham United and Arsenal coming into tonight’s match and didn’t have a direct free-kick goal to his name, but it didn’t stop him from scoring twice in this manner in the space of 12 second-half minutes.

In doing so he became the first player to score two direct free-kick goals in a knockout-stage match in the UEFA Champions League, instantly etching his name into the history books and into Arsenal folklore.

It became evident towards the end of the first half that the successful utilisation of Bukayo Saka could lay the path to victory for Arsenal in this match, and it was this process that indirectly led to Arsenal breaking the deadlock via Rice’s heroics just before the hour-mark.

The Gunners often used a three-two shape in build-up play, with Myles Lewis-Skelly moving into midfield alongside Thomas Partey, ahead of Jurrien Timber, William Saliba and Jakub Kiwior.

This narrow shape meant Real Madrid were forced to defend just as narrowly, ultimately opening up direct passing lanes into Gabriel Martinelli and Saka, and it was Saka who provided all of the threat.

His opponent for the evening was David Alaba, who simply did not look up to the task, often needing the assistance of Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga.

An undeterred Saka flashed the ball across the box more than once in the first half and the visitors heeded that warning, choosing to defend him tighter in the second half.

This is what ultimately led to Arsenal’s opener, with Alaba tracking Saka towards a central position after the winger had picked the ball up out wide, eventually nipping at his heels and bringing him down.

Up stepped Rice to score the first direct free-kick goal of his career, bending the ball round the wall to dumbfound an outstretched Thibaut Courtois.

'I'm over the moon'

Rice told Amazon Prime post-match that set-piece coach Jover had advised him to cross, but Real Madrid’s four-man wall was too enticing.

"It's been in the locker, but I've hit the wall too many times or it's gone over the bar," Rice said.

"Originally we were going to cross it and then I've just seen the wall and the goalkeeper's position. So I thought just go for it. And Bukayo [Saka] said to just feel it.

"The second one I had the confidence. I hit it. It's not going to hit me now because there's another leg to go. I'm excited, I'm happy, I'm over the moon. But in a few years time this will really hit me that what I've done tonight was really special."

Only 12 minutes later and he inexplicably did it again. From further left of his first strike, Rice exploited his newfound dead-ball confidence to arrow the ball ferociously into the top-right corner, unbothered that Courtois was stood to that side.

Rice joins a small list of set-piece specialists to have scored twice from a direct free-kick in a single Champions League match, along with Rivaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Hakim Ziyech.

Mikel Merino put the first leg – and possibly the tie – to bed with 15 minutes to go, finishing expertly to the bottom left with a strike that will have reminded the home fans of Robin van Persie’s Emirates contributions.

Merino’s centre-forward stint in the absence of Kai Havertz is turning into an incredible story, and one that will require an equally incredible conclusion if Arsenal are to go all the way in this competition.

Merino hadn’t played a single match up front prior to the injury of Havertz, but the Spaniard now has six goals from his last 10 appearances for the Gunners.

If there is one club that have the presence and history to turn around a first-leg deficit in the Champions League, though, it’s Real Madrid.

Arsenal were no doubt deserving of their win here, but there were still some warning signs from the visitors, chiefly via runs in behind from Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr, who stretched the Arsenal defence at times and tested their backline in the absence of the injured Gabriel Magalhaes.

Strangely, Liverpool’s 11-point lead with seven matches remaining in the Premier League could now favour the Champions League aspirations of Arsenal, who may rotate their team this weekend against Brentford before the return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu next Wednesday.

They have already achieved a victory for English clubs in general, with tonight’s win ensuring that the Premier League have now claimed a fifth Champions League spot.