Arsenal made it to the Champions League semi-finals after beating Real Madrid 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu, going through 5-1 winners on aggregate across both legs.
The first half was punctuated with two questionable penalty decisions, one given after a VAR check and missed by Bukayo Saka, and the other overturned despite being awarded by the referee.
In a febrile Santiago Bernabeu the Gunners did eventually take the lead, Saka dinking over Thibaut Courtois to get the last laugh after the Belgian stopped his penalty to give Arsenal a 4-0 aggregate lead.
But it didn’t last long, with Vinicius Junior pouncing on a defensive mix-up from William Saliba and slamming in an equaliser to potentially set up a dramatic comeback.
Yet there was to be no turnaround, with the Gunners then adding a second to make it 5-1 on aggregate, curling beyond Courtois in the 93rd minute to make absolutely sure of the result to tee up a mouth-watering semi-final clash with Paris Saint-Germain.
Here, Mail Sport’s ISAAN KHAN takes you through which stars stepped up for the occasion, and who could have done better for their side.
Bukayo Saka scored Arsenal’s only goal of the night as his side made sure of their place in the Champions League semi-finals
Gabriel Martinelli was on the scoresheet in the 93rd minute to make sure of the result late on
Arsenal saw off the 15-time Champions League winners 2-1 on the night to go through 5-1 winners on aggregate
REAL MADRID (4-4-2):
Thibaut Courtois – 6
Saved Bukayo Saka’s poorly-executed Panenka penalty which was a big moment. Wasn’t required too much after, with the ball often in the offensive half.
Lucas Vazquez – 5.5
Didn’t look comfortable at the back. His display was masked by the home team’s lack of attacking fruition.
Raul Asencio – 5.5
Silly to drag Mikel Merino down within 10 minutes, which resulted in Saka’s penalty. It started the night off on the wrong foot for Real.
Antonio Rudiger – 6
Strong at the back. Imposed himself and made the Arsenal frontline know he was there.
Thibaut Courtois did well to keep out Saka’s Panenka penalty early in the first half
Antonio Rudiger imposed himself on the game and made the opposition know he was there
David Alaba – 5.5
Got an early yellow card for clattering Saka. Struggled and was caught in wrong positions. Needed to be better.
Federico Valverde – 5.5
Spent much time sat in the middle rather than affecting play further forward. This limited attacking link-up play.
Aurelien Tchouameni – 6
Didn’t make killer passes for his strikers, which was required on a night like this.
Jude Bellingham – 6
Worked hard to make an impact — as seen by his audacious bicycle kick — but looked a bit confused on positioning. Had a tussle with England team-mate Declan Rice.
Jude Bellingham worked hard to make an impact but appeared confused on his positioning
Rodrygo – 6
Many spurts forward, and the will was there, but lacking end product in his crosses.
Kylian Mbappe – 6
Thought he had scored early on but was offside. Good battle with William Saliba, but often found himself being marshalled out.
Vinicius Junior – 7
Real’s best threat. Tracked back from the start and always looked a threat on the ball. Felt in his own league at times. Managed to get on the scoresheet after a poor defensive error from Saliba.
Subs:
Ceballos for Rodrygo 61′ – 6
Mbappe had a good battle with William Saliba but found himself marshalled out the game
Garcia for Alaba 61′ – 6
Endrick for Vazquez 61′ – 6
Modric for Asencio 74′ – 6
Diaz for Mbappe – 75′ – 6
Manager:
Carlo Ancelotti – 5.5
A star-studded line-up which again fell way short.
ARSENAL (4-3-3):
David Raya – 6.5
Good handling of the ball on crosses. Booked for time-wasting in the first half which was risky.
Jurrien Timber – 7
His early rash tackle allowed Vincius Jnr through, who nearly capitalised. After that, he was on song.
William Saliba – 6.5
A fascinating battle against Mbappe, the two France team-mates battling away. He came out on top, but his bad error allowed Vinicius Jnr to score.
Jakub Kiwior – 7
An impressive step up, in line with his recent performances having been on the bench for most of the season. Kept alert throughout.
Myles Lewis-Skelly – 7.5
He’s only 18, but again showed why he is so highly-rated at Arsenal. Didn’t wilt under the frontline pressure.
Martin Odegaard – 6.5
Was on the tip of Arsenal’s breaks forwards. His team will have wanted more, though, as he often dithered on the ball.
Thomas Partey – 7.5
Found himself in the right place at the right time. Important in breaking up play and putting in tackles through the middle.
Declan Rice – 8.5
No superlative free-kick in the locker this time, but another great display. His tussle with Mbappe which resulted in a penalty was, correctly, overturned after VAR review.
Bukayo Saka – 7
Showed signs of real promise early on. His saved Panenka penalty was poor but redeemed himself with a goal.
Mikel Merino – 7
A workhorse performance. Won his side a penalty early on and then often held up play to take sting out of the game.
Gabriel Martinelli – 7
Kept driving forward, even when met by setbacks. Would have wanted more end product, though. Put in a great defensive shift before adding the second in added time.
Manager:
Mikel Arteta – 7.5
Arsenal are in the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2009. Enough said.
Referee:
Francois Letexier – 6
