MADRID — Gabriel Martinelli scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner as Arsenal emphatically knocked out holders Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate to reach the UEFA Champions League semifinals for the first time since 2009. Leading 3-0 from the first leg, the Gunners silenced widespread prematch talk of another famous “remontada” (“comeback”) from 15-time winners Real as Bukayo Saka and Martinelli stuck either side of Vinícius Júnior‘s 67th-minute reply to secure a historic triumph.
Saka missed a 13th-minute penalty as Thibaut Courtois saved his attempted Panenka before Real thought they had a spot kick of their own when Kylian Mbappé went down under a challenge from Declan Rice. Referee François Letexier awarded the penalty, but after a five-minute VAR check, the decision was overturned.
Real failed to have a shot on target as Arsenal defended stoically, and when the home side had to gamble to find a way back, the visitors pounced. Saka made amends for his earlier spot-kick aberration with a clever finish on 65 minutes as he broke the offside trap to lift Mikel Merino‘s through ball over Courtois.
A mistake by William Saliba — otherwise excellent on the night — gave Vinícius the chance to reply instantly two minutes later, but Arsenal held firm before Martinelli raced clear on the counterattack to slot a low finish past Courtois for a famous victory.
In what will be only the third semifinal in Arsenal’s Champions League history, the Gunners will face Paris Saint-Germain, but must do so without Thomas Partey, who picked up a late booking for a shove on Real substitute Dani Ceballos and will miss the first leg, due to take place on April 29 or 30. — James Olley
Arsenal’s maturity delivers Arteta’s finest night
Mikel Arteta won the 2020 FA Cup, and while Arsenal don’t get a trophy for this, knocking out the 15-time and current champions may well rank as the best achievement of his managerial career to date. The Spaniard, in his first leadership role after three seasons as a coach at Manchester City, got the balance right in both games as the Gunners displayed bravery and caution in equal measure.
His counterpart Carlo Ancelotti has won this competition five times, but he was outmaneuvered in this tie.
After a magical night at the Emirates Stadium to earn a three-goal lead, Arsenal dug in here with the sort of defensively resilient display that has become something of a trademark. This is the 80th consecutive game in which they have not conceded three goals, and the last time that happened — against Luton Town in December 2023 — they still won 4-3.
Arsenal thoroughly deserved this and, let’s not forget, they still don’t have a recognized center forward due to injury while key center back Gabriel Magalhães is absent from the backline.
They may have fallen short in the Premier League, but this is a victory that will give them a genuine belief they can match the other three teams left in this competition. As Arsenal break new ground for the first time since 2009, Arteta will hope an even better night awaits in the semifinals. — Olley
Madrid lack spark as comeback never materializes
If Real Madrid were to pull off an all-time great comeback at the Bernabéu, their task was straightforward: they needed to score (at least) three goals. And on Wednesday night, against a resolute, street-smart, well-drilled Arsenal defense, Madrid just weren’t threatening enough — barring one dreadful mistake from Saliba for the equalizer.
There was plenty of bluster. The crowd got on their feet every time Mbappé, Vinícius and Rodrygo were on the ball, but in terms of end product, there was remarkably little. David Raya had just two saves to make all night, and Mbappé didn’t have a single shot on target. Even when the goal eventually came — with Madrid already 1-0 down — it was down to Vinícius’ pressing, closing down Saliba and winning the ball to create a chance for himself.
Madrid’s midfield has been an issue all season. Here, Federico Valverde, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Jude Bellingham didn’t offer nearly enough creativity, leaving the front three to try to manufacture opportunities for themselves. It’s no wonder that Dani Ceballos — the only player in Madrid’s squad who currently offers passing range, rhythm and guile in midfield — was warming up before halftime.
Rodrygo was hauled off after an hour, replaced by Endrick. Vinícius finally got his goal six minutes later, although, given that it came with Arsenal already in front, it didn’t have the expected effect of galvanizing the team and the crowd with belief. Mbappé’s injury, limping off in the 75th minute with an ankle problem, ended another frustrating night for him, and the team. — Alex Kirkland
Saka overcomes penalty pain again
Saka recovered from his miss in the Euro 2020 final to become one of the most reliable penalty takers in the game. In fact, the last time he failed from the spot was exactly two years ago as Arsenal drew 2-2 at West Ham United in a game thatwent a long way to costing them the Premier League title.
There would have been fears of another costly error here as Saka saw his 13th-minute spot kick saved — awarded on VAR review for Raúl Asencio‘s foul on Merino. Saka rarely — if ever –tries a Panenka, and it backfired as Courtois clawed away his effort, but the 23-year-old proved his resilience once again, recovering his composure to produce a sublime finish in opening the scoring on 65 minutes. That was the time to chip the ball.
He outshone Vinícius comprehensively in both ties. His dream of rivaling the Brazil international for the Ballon d’Or is some way from being realized, but it looks to be a realistic aim if he carries on like this. — Olley
Can domestic silverware save Madrid’s season?
Real Madrid’s season is far from over. They’re four points behind Barcelona at the top of the LaLiga table with seven games left, and with a league Clásico to come. And they’ll face the same opponents in the Copa del Rey final on April 26. But this Champions League elimination is a huge blow, no question.
With Barcelona out in front in LaLiga, and having comfortably bested Madrid in both Clásicos so far this campaign, many Madrid fans had started to place most of their hope for a successful end to the season in the Champions League. It’s Madrid’s competition, regardless of form or circumstance. In Europe, Madrid are a match for anyone — except, over these two legs, for Arsenal.
There’ll be no time to dwell on this result. Madrid play a tough, Champions-League chasing Athletic Club side in the league on Sunday. They play Getafe — never a picnic — three days later. Failure to win either game would complicate things in the title race. And in 10 days’ time, it’s the cup final in Seville, when Madrid must, at all costs, avoid a repeat of this season’s Clásico embarrassments.
This Madrid team have rarely looked like Champions League winners. They struggled in the league phase, beaten by Lille, AC Milan and Liverpool, and needed a playoff against Manchester City — when they finally performed — to reach the knockout round. They didn’t particularly shine against Atlético Madrid in the last 16, needing Julián Álvarez‘s penalty slip to help them go through.
And now their European season is over.
There’s still a lot to play for, but there’s also a lot to lose, and the biggest prize of all is now off the table. — Kirkland
Rice bests Bellingham in midfield battle
Rice scored the first free kicks of his career in last Tuesday’s first leg, but his all-action display in the Bernabéu was arguably more impressive.
He won the midfield battle with Bellingham, despite the latter’s provocation. There were several flashpoints that Bellingham instigated; he also appeared to have a word with Saka before he took his penalty, which further suggests Bellingham may have some relationships to repair the next time England meet up (which is in June).
Rice cost Arsenal a £105 million transfer fee from West Ham in 2023, but on nights like this, he looks priceless. His importance will be heightened further against PSG after Partey picked up a needless booking for pushing Ceballos, meaning he will be suspended for the first leg. Rice would have been suspended had he been booked, too — in fact, he was when giving away the penalty for his challenge on Mbappé — but both the spot kick and the card were wiped on VAR review. — Olley
Ancelotti’s big calls in defense don’t pay off
Real Madrid’s XI featured two eye-opening selections from Ancelotti at full back. Lucas Vázquez has been heavily criticized all season for his failure to adequately fill in for the injured Dani Carvajal, but there he was at right back, Valverde restored to central midfield. And on the left, there was no place for Fran García, David Alaba getting the nod, despite his first-leg struggles to contain Saka.
Neither call paid off. Both Vázquez and Alaba had difficult nights, with Saka and Martinelli constant outlets for Arsenal on the flanks. Vázquez, at least, contributed going forward, with three shots, completing 30 out of 32 passes. Both players were substituted after an hour.
Madrid’s center back pairing faired just a little better. Asencio’s early mistake, conceding a penalty for his rash pull on Merino inside the box, ended up going unpunished when Courtois saved Saka’s penalty. Antonio Rüdiger was, as ever, in the middle of one clash after another, eventually booked for his latest foul in the 85th minute.
As a unit, this is a long way from being an elite back four. Éder Militão‘s long-term injury doesn’t help, of course, but Madrid’s defense is in need of a summer rebuild. — Kirkland
