Arsenal FC was too strong: Real Madrid was unable to make up for the 0: 3 bankruptcy from the first leg. Even in the second leg, the guests from the island were simply better and won 2-1 (0: 0).
While the royal ones have to pack the suitcases, the Gunners now dream more than ever from the first win of the Henkelpott. Most recently, Arsenal, who now meets the French champion Paris Saint-Germain, had reached the semi-finals 16 years ago.
“It’s a difficult moment,” said Madrids Lucas Vázquez at Movistar: “It was a difficult game, we didn’t have all the chances we would have liked to have.” Arsenals captain Declan Rice had great feelings: “It is a very special evening for this club, a historical evening for this club. We want to win this competition!”
“Remontada” – all of Madrid dreamed of the next miracle
“Remontada” has been the winged word in Madrid in the past few days. A “catch-up” was challenged before Real, after the 0: 3 first leg fiasco in London, a typical real football miracle, which the club has been in the recent past, has been conjured up again.
Catch up three goals – you can’t lose time. And so the “royal” started at a lot of pace. And after a good two minutes, the ball was actually in Arsenal’s goal. Kylian Mbappé had pressed the ball over the line with his chest after Vinicius Junior had heavily prepared on the left. Alone: The Frenchman was clearly offside – the gate could not count.
Asencio pulled, merino falls – but Saka is shooting
But that was a good beginning. However, FC Arsenal had already announced that they did not want to touch concrete in Madrid – the Gunners in turn also looked for the gaps on Real’s defensive. And they got a first corner kick in the 11th minute. It flew out from the left and in the center Mikel Merino was dragged to the ground by his opponent Raul Asencio that Schiri François Letexier had no choice: penalty!
Arsenal FC had something like a match ball in the heated Bernabeu after a good ten minutes. At the point of Bukayo Saka, the nimble wing player of the Gunners. The 23-year-old ran casually and shot casually. Far too casual. Thibaut Courtois in the goal of the “royal” had no trouble to parry the incredibly weakly shot penalty.
Mbappé wafer -thin in the offside – no penalty
Now the stadium was really in the mood – maybe the intended catch -up hunts need exactly such moments to spark the necessary euphoria. Another seemed to follow in the 23rd minute: Schiri Letexier again pointed to the penalty point – this time in the penalty area of Arsenal.
Declan Rice, the double goal scorer from the first leg, had held Mbappé in the penalty area. But here too it had to be checked again. And that took a whopping five minutes. Result: Mbappé stood in the offside – no penalty.
Real too static – no shot on the gate in halftime one
The Var had already interrupted the season for nine minutes – visibly annoyed, the hosts somehow tried to get the engine going again. But somehow it didn’t work. Arsenal’s defense, which had not offered any rooms in the first leg in the first leg, was extremely stable again this time. Perhaps Real tried too static – no gaps could be torn at the very front.
It was only after a good 40 minutes there was something like real pressure on Arsenal defense when Real was given several corner kicks in a row. Antonio Rüdiger in particular made all sorts of wrestlers against Jurrien Timber to turmoil in front of the English goal. However, this also did not bring countable – the questionable record for Real: in the first section you hadn’t brought a single shot on the gate of the guests.
Arsenal plays real
What do you do in such a situation? Trainer Carlo Ancelotti decided not to change anything. But there was nothing in real situation in the second section. It didn’t go. There was no pace, no pressure, no danger. The first shot ever – submitted by Vinicius Junior in the 56th minute – was a harmless attempt at spacer, which landed safely in the arms of keeper David Raya.
Saliba’s error ensures hope
Everything seemed like this – until the 65th minute: Real collected the supposed final KO by Martin Ödegaard, continued by Merino, Saka suddenly had free rail in the 16 and lifted the ball over Courtois to 0: 1.
“That was” spoke from the desperate faces of the fans in the stands, who brightened a little again. Arsenals William Saliba had rated the matter too carefree when building the game and was clayed by Vinicius Junior’s own 16, who catapulted the ball into the empty gate (67.).
Mbappé injured out – real arises
Suddenly there was something else? It didn’t really make the impression – even after this glimmer of hope, Real remained incident and center that evening. A quarter of an hour before the end, Mbappé with ankle pain also had to get off the field with ankle pain – it was completely about Madrid’s offensive. Real was literally. And even collected the 1-2 in added time by Gabriel Martinelli.
Arsenal FC had once again made it into a Champions League semi-final with a tactical masterpiece. Most recently, this was successful in 2009. Then in the round of the last four the national competitor Manchester United. But this time it is not at all in the Champions League.