Arsenal humiliate Real Madrid in a return years in the making | OneFootball

While Real Madrid fans and the club were betting on a special “comeback” at the Santiago Bernabéu, Arsenal were very aware of their favoritism and their advantage and put in a perfect tactical performance to beat the Spaniards again and advance to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

As expected, Real went on the attack from the first minute and Mbappe even scored an offside goal in the 5th minute after an excellent cross from Vinícius Júnior. However, it was the refereeing that really stole the show in the first half, with the VAR helping to award Ascensio a penalty for a foul on Merino, but Saka missed with a half-hearted effort in the middle of the goal, making it very easy for Courtois to save.

In the 23rd minute, the referee awarded Declan Rice a penalty against Kylian Mbappe in an absolutely controversial move, in which it took five unnecessary minutes for the VAR to review and correct an absurd booking. The move was very important for Arsenal, who saw Real Madrid's intensity drop after the stoppage time.

Real Madrid v Arsenal - UEFA Champions League | Anadolu/GettyImages

After taking few risks in the face of Real's insistence on crosses, Arsenal were even better in the second half with excellent defensive interchanges, congesting the midfield and preventing Real's creative sector from having the freedom to create varied moves. And when they had the chance, they went ahead in the 65th minute when Saka received a perfectly-weighted pass from Merino to receive a free kick and tap it past Courtois for a stunning goal.

Real Madrid tried to respond by taking advantage of a serious mistake by Saliba in the build-up, leaving Vinícius Júnior in a position to finish and equalize the game. But it was Arsenal's night, and it ended perfectly when Martinelli received the ball deep on the left to break into the box at high speed and beat goalkeeper Courtois to give the Gunners victory in injury time.

Only three games left for Arsenal to achieve glory

As the first club in history not to suffer defeat to Real Madrid in two Champions League knockout games, Arsenal are favored to overcome PSG and advance to the final. The Gunners are ready to make history in Munich, they just need to keep up the intense pace and absurd concentration over the next three games.