Arsenal defeats Real Madrid 2-1 to reach Champions League semifinals for first time since 2009
NEW DELHI: Arsenal secured a historic 2-1 victory against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, advancing to the Champions League semifinals for the first time since 2009 with a 5-1 aggregate score.
The match featured crucial VAR interventions in two penalty decisions, with Arsenal maintaining their impressive first-leg advantage of 3-0 from London.
Arsenal will now face Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals, while Inter Milan, who defeated Bayern Munich, will meet Barcelona in the other semifinal matchup.
Real Madrid, the defending champion and 15-time European winner, failed to produce one of their trademark comebacks at the Bernabeu, falling short of the last four for the first time since 2020.
“There was a lot of talk coming here about (Real Madrid) coming back, because they’ve done it so many times before, but we had so much belief and confidence from that first game to come here and win the game,” said Arsenal’s Declan Rice, who had scored twice in the first leg through free kicks. “We knew we were going to suffer, but we knew we were going to win. We had it in our minds and now we’ve done it in real life.”
The match’s momentum shifted early when VAR overturned a penalty for Real Madrid following a hold on Kylian Mbappé, after a five-minute review with the score at 0-0.
Arsenal had earlier missed their own VAR-awarded penalty when Bukayo Saka failed to convert from the spot.
Saka later redeemed himself by scoring in the 65th minute after receiving a pass from Mikel Merino, though Madrid quickly equalized through Vinícius Júnior following a defensive error by William Saliba.
Gabriel Martinelli sealed Arsenal’s victory with a stoppage-time goal, assisted by Merino.
“This is one of the best nights in my football career, for sure,” Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta said. “It’s a really special one against a team that has been an inspiration for a lot of us in this competition. To win this tie in the manner that we have, we can be very proud.”
Mbappé’s substitution in the 75th minute due to an apparent injury drew jeers from some Bernabeu supporters, marking another disappointing Champions League campaign for the French star.
“It’s a tough moment,” Madrid’s Lucas Vazquez said. “We tried but in the end we couldn’t achieve our goal. We’ll come back stronger. Madrid always does.”
Real Madrid’s task was challenging from the outset, facing an Arsenal team that hadn’t lost by a three-goal margin in nearly three years. Only four teams in Champions League history had overcome a three-goal first-leg deficit at home.
The match began with early drama as Madrid had a goal disallowed after two minutes when Mbappé was caught offside.
Arsenal maintained their unbeaten record against Real Madrid, extending it to four matches, including their previous Champions League knockout stage victory in 2005-06.
The game featured significant VAR involvement, with Arsenal’s penalty awarded after review showed Raúl Asencio holding Mikel Merino during a corner kick.
Another VAR review led to the reversal of Madrid’s penalty claim after initially being awarded for a hold on Mbappé by Rice.
The victory marks Arsenal’s return to the Champions League semifinals after a 15-year absence, with their last appearance ending in elimination by Manchester United in 2008-09.
