Real Madrid 1–2 (Agg: 1–5) Arsenal Player Ratings: Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli on Target as Arsenal Sail past Real Madrid into UCL Semis

Arsenal delivered the knockout blow to 15-time champions Real Madrid by beating them 2-1 at Santiago Bernabeu. Their superior performance in the first leg gave them this comfort as they enjoyed another memorable outing at the Bernabeu. Arsenal failed to take the early lead through Saka as he missed his penalty. But they were defensively unbreakable as they kept Madrid without a shot on target in the first half.

Saka himself gave them the lead in the second half, but Madrid found a way into the game through Vinicius Jr. However, the tie slipped out of their hand as they looked toothless post that goal to crash out in the quarter finals. Gabriel Martinelli made the trip even sweeter with a late winner to seal the win. Real Madrid were thoroughly outclassed over the two legs.

Real Madrid raised the heat before the game by tweeting, “90 minutes at the Bernabeu are very long”. The defending champions trained the entire week, intending to have their version of the remontada. They needed their forwards to be at their best. Eduardo Camavinga’s suspension had a ripple effect on the lineup as Lucas Vázquez started at right-back, allowing Aurelien Tchouameni to come into the lineup in midfield.

Arsenal had their setbacks in the league, but they turned to the Champions League to give them some joy. The Londoners had a fairly easy job in Spain as they needed to avoid any silly mistakes. They haven’t lost a European tie when they went into the second leg with a three-goal lead. The last time they conceded three goals in a game was also way back in December 2023. Arteta had the option of conservatively setting his team up or just playing their natural game. Injury fears were allayed as Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice started the game.

The hosts had a terrific start to the game as Kylian Mbappe put the ball in the back of the net just a couple of minutes into the game. But the French forward himself knew he was offside. Arsenal then took over as Saka created a couple of opportunities for himself against David Alaba. The Gunners dominated the ball and reduced Real Madrid to breaks only.

The visitor’s pressure has resulted in Madrid’s Raul Asencio pulling Mikel Meinro down to the ground in the penalty area. The referee was suggested by the VAR to take a second look and award a penalty to the Gunners. Saka had the chance to deliver on his good start, but the English international experimented with his spot kick and failed to put them ahead. He tried a panenka kick, and Thibaut Courtois had all the time in the world to readjust and make the save.

Real Madrid started asking some questions with some renewed energy after that debacle from Arsenal. They thought they had the chance to reduce the arrears when the referee gave them a penalty as Mbappe was brought down by Declan Rice inside the box. However, after a long and hard look at the VAR suggestion, the referee reversed his original decision. The game then became an end-to-end affair as both players started to dive into tackles with a little bit of animosity creeping in.

The hosts failed to find answers as Arsenal put up an extremely effective low block. They defended with vigour and street smarts as their centre-backs and defenders brought their A-game towards the end of the first half.

Real Madrid’s forwards were a bit ineffective with their passing and dribbling as well. They went into the tunnel at 0-0, knowing they had done nothing to have a miraculous comeback. Conversely, Gabriel Martinelli could’ve given Arsenal the lead in the first half with a fantastic effort late on. Real Madrid were running out of time to pull off a miracle in the second half.

Los Blancos started the second half with more intent as Mbappe looked like a man possessed. He was trying everything in the book to get his side back into the game. However, Arsenal looked superior as they held the ball and rotated it with ease. Vinicus Jr finally landed Real Madrid’s first shot on target in the 56th minute as he curled straight into David Raya’s grasp.

Arsenal played some smooth football, and their perseverance paid off in the 65th minute as Saka provided the final blow in the tie. After a delightful passing sequence, Merino slipped in Saka, who calmly lobbed the ball over an onrushing Courtois to put Arsenal four goals clear in the tie. They could hardly enjoy that goal as just a minute later, William Saliba gifted an equaliser to Real Madrid on the night. The Frenchman was caught napping on the ball as Vincius Jr robbed the ball off him and slotted it into an unguarded net.

With 20 minutes to go, Real Madrid were back to square one and had nothing but their fans’ cheers to boost them. The Gunners showed exceptional game intelligence as they simply passed the 15 time champions around for fun. With time fast running out, a few players started to lose their head as things got ugly.

However, Arsenal kept their calm and struck the decisive blow late on as Martinelli raced onto a through ball to score the winner in the game. They were the deserved winner of the tie, and they did it in style with an emphatic scoreline against the European Royalty. They will be pumped for the semi-finals.

Arsenal get another historic result in Spain and books a semifinal spot for the first time since 2009. They get to meet French champions PSG in the last four clash in a couple of weeks. The Gunners will be eyeing their first-ever Champions League triumph to kick off Arteta’s title-winning run. In the league, they will turn their focus to Ipswich as the Premier League title is slipping away from their hands.

Real Madrid couldn’t match their words on the pitch as Arsenal did get the job done in 90 minutes on their turf. They slumped to their first quarter-final exit since 2004. Los Blancos face Athletic Club in the league to keep pushing Barcelona in their title race.

Here are the Real Madrid vs Arsenal player ratings.

Real Madrid Player Ratings

GK- Thibaut Courtois – 7/10

Made a fantastic adjustment to save Saka’s panenka penalty early in the game. Sighed a breath of relief as Timber’s effort was off target. He was beaten by a majestic lob from Saka.

RB- Lucas Vazuqez – 6.5/10

Had to start at right-back as Valverde pushed forward. Pretty much played as the right winger, putting more pressure on Arsenal. Had to defend and keep an eye on Martinell as well.

CB- Raul Asencio – 6/10

A nightmare start to the game as he conceded a penalty and was booked early on. Had to watch his every step after that as the threat of a sending off was pretty much real.

CB- Antonio Rudiger – 6.5/10

An eventful game to say the least, as he put in some crunching tackles in defence. A few of them were naughty as well. He joined the attack and played an extra striker whenever the chance appeared to get a goal for his side.

LB- David Alaba – 5/10

His troubles against Saka were documented again as the English winger got the better of him easily. Started the game with a rash foul and a yellow card and could barely contribute in attack.

DM- Federico Valverde – 7/10

Put up an energetic performance as he picked up plenty of second balls and tried to recycle the attacks. But the quality of the ball was lacking as Arsenal’s defensive wall repelled him with ease.

DM- Aurelien Tchouameni – 6/10

The more defensive of the two holding midfielders, he took the ball under pressure and helped Real progress the ball. Tried his luck with an ambitious shot from outside the box but it was well blocked.

RW- Rodrygo – 5.5/10

Started the game on the right flank but started floating around as Vazquez provided the width on the right. However, he couldn’t provide a concrete impact as they failed to beat Arsenal’s strong defence.

CAM- Jude Bellingham – 6/10

Dropped wide and played a fantastic cross into the middle, only to find no one on the end of it. His work ethic was called into question as Arsenal made merry on some transitions.

LW- Vinicius Jr – 6.5/10

Created a great chance early on, but he was offside. His side needed much more from him, but he was very well handled by Timber and Co. He feasted on a mistake by Saliba to open his account.

ST- Kylian Mbappe – 6.5/10

At times, it looked like he was the only one carrying Real Madrid’s attack. His energy and directness posed a great threat, but he wasn’t able to pull it off against the Gunners.

SUB- Fran Garcia- 6/10

SUB- Endrick – 6/10

SUB- Dani Ceballos – 6/10

SUB- Luka Modric – 6/10

SUB- Brahim Diaz – 6/10

Manager- Carlo Ancelotti- 4/10

Named his best lineup and hoped that the star quality would bail him out. Unfortunately, they looked clueless against a well-drilled Arsenal defence. He gave his bench 30 minutes to salvage something from the tie as a few starters looked jaded.

Also Read: Arsenal 3-0 Real Madrid Player Ratings: The Gunners delivered a masterclass as they thrashed Real Madrid in the 1st leg

Arsenal Player Ratings

GK- David Raya – 6.5/10

Had no saves to make in the first half as Real Madrid failed to have a single shot on target. But picked up a yellow card in the first half for time-wasting in a strange way. Saved Vinicius’ curler with ease in the second half. Rolled the ball to Saliba, who was being harassed from behind.

RB- Jurrien Timber – 7.5/10

Enjoyed a fantastic battle with Vinicius and could proudly say he came out on top. He was very assured in his tackles and never let his man get past him easily. Had a great chance to open the scoring in the first half.

CB- William Saliba – 6/10

Leading his side’s defence on the biggest of nights, he did a splendid job. He was there with Mbappe and Vinicus everytime time they thought they were in the clear. Won his duels, covered the passing lanes, and passed the ball around with ease. A completely uncharacteristic mistake undermined his sensational night.

CB- Jakub Kiwior – 6.5/10

The presence of Saliba beside him allowed him to defend more aggressively and charge up the pitch. His recovery pace was on show as he put in a couple of wonderful recovery tackles.

LB- Myles Lewis-Skelly – 6.5/10

The youngster was not afraid of the occasion and looked right at home as he held his own defensively. Not his most fluent game in attack, but it also didn’t need him to be perfect there.

CM- Martin Odegaard- 6/10

The captain was often found lethargic as he either overhit or underhit several passes. He linked up well with Saka and Martinelli as usual and played a key role in the buildup to Arsenal’s first goal.

CM- Declan Rice – 7/10

A fabulous game in the middle of the park as he imposed himself on the game. He made numerous blocks and interceptions to win the ball. The recovery challenge on Jude Bellingham in the box to prevent him from shooting was worth everything Arsenal paid for him.

CM- Thomas Partey – 6/10

A fairly simple game in the middle for him as he sat back and tried to destroy any momentum the opposition built. He had some awkward moments off the ball but was bailed out by his teammates.

RW- Bukayo Saka – 8/10

Started the game with a strange penalty and would probably know its better not to experiment on the biggest nights. But he kept trying and was their best player on the night. Found his goal as he added another one to his collection at a famous venue.

ST- Mikel Merino – 7/10

He can be a perfect number 9 in the future for any side, as he is getting better and better every game. Won a penalty after being dragged down in the first half. Played a delicate pass into Saka’s path as he opened the scoring.

LW- Gabriel Martinelli – 7.5/10

He was pretty active on that left wing in defence and attack. Led them on multiple counters himself and probably should’ve scored on the brink of half time but was denied by Courtois. Finally got his goal with a well-taken finish in the 94th minute.

SUB- Leandro Trossard – 6/10

SUB- Ben White- N/A

SUB- Oleksandr Zinchenko- N/A

SUB – Kieran Tierney – N/A

Manager- Mikel Arteta – 8/10

The manager’s first victory on the night was not setting them up defensively. He encouraged his boys to play their natural game and not get boxed into their half. When it was needed, they weren’t afraid to defend deep as well. They showed maturity beyond their years to expertly see off the tie.

The Sportsdunia Player of the Match: Bukayo Saka

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