Phenomenal Rice, Arsenal Not Dreaming

LONDON, WEDNESDAY — Real Madrid swiftly anticipated the threat of Arsenal's corner kicks, which are feared throughout England. While Madrid managed to counteract them, disaster instead came from another set-piece scenario, namely a free kick. Arsenal has Declan Rice to thank, as the midfielder delivered a pair of spectacular goals.

Arsenal seems to live in a fantasy land. Throughout his career, in a total of 338 matches, Rice had never scored a goal from a direct free kick. Suddenly, he scored two goals at once within a span of just 12 minutes. Both shots made the world-class goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois appear like an amateur.

It is only natural; there would not be a single goalkeeper under the heavens capable of reaching those two shots. In the first shot, the ball curved outward from the goal before bending back in. Even Real Madrid's legendary defender Roberto Carlos, who once scored a similar goal, appeared astonished from the stands.

Rice's second strike was equally stunning, heading toward the top right corner of Courtois's goal. Kylian Mbappe, Madrid's megastar, was left in disbelief. Throughout the history of the Champions League knockout stages, according to Opta, no player has ever scored two direct free kicks in a single match. Rice is the first.

A pair of goals by Rice in the 58th and 70th minutes opened Arsenal's lead. This also inspired Arsenal's resounding 3-0 victory over the defending champions in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals at Emirates Stadium, early Wednesday morning (9/4/2025) Western Indonesian Time. "I am speechless (after the ball went in)," said Rice.

"To score the first free-kick in a game like this is a special achievement. After getting the second one, I felt more confident. I was happy to take it because it felt magical," the England international told BBC Sport.

That beautiful goal almost did not happen. Rice and his teammates initially decided to send a cross into the penalty box. Then, winger Bukayo Saka noticed a small gap in the opponent's defensive wall, which was guarded by only four players. Fortunately, the decision was changed as a direct shot seemed more reasonable.

Arsenal's celebration and Madrid's disaster continued five minutes later. Midfielder Mikel Merino, acting as an emergency center forward, extended the lead with a precise shot to the bottom left corner of Courtois' goal. The assist was provided by 18-year-old defender Myles Lewis-Skelly, the second-youngest starter in the history of the Champions League quarterfinals.

For manager Mikel Arteta's team, the victory felt unreal. Never mind winning and celebrating goals, before the match they were still busy worrying about the defense line left by defender Gabriel Magalhaes. Not to mention the opponent they faced was Madrid, the winner of the most Champions League trophies (15).

“We produced a great performance that was very complete and collective. Tonight was about two things, the atmosphere we created before kick-off. I’ve never seen that before. Then individual moments of magic that decided the result. Declan’s two early goals summed up the evening,” Arteta said.

Rice inspired, whole team wins

Rice did play the role of the torch bearer who successfully ignited the fire in the away team's defense. However, other Arsenal players played a role in spreading gasoline. Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham agreed that the opposing team was far superior in terms of play.

"We didn't get anywhere near them. That's the reality and Arsenal were absolutely superb. I know their two goals were free-kicks but they should have scored more. We need something really special in the second game at home," said Bellingham, Rice's teammate on the international team.

The foundation of Arsenal's success began with two aspects, the defense and the midfield. The home team's four defenders were very solid in blocking the fast transitions of Mbappe and his colleagues. "The Cannon" could comfortably display a high defensive line without worrying about being counterattacked.

Despite being nervous about making a wrong pass, defender Jakub Kiwior was able to perform strongly to replace Gabriel's role. The best performance in defense was shown by wing-back Jurrien Timber. He succeeded in making Vinicius Junior almost invisible throughout the match. Vinicius went home without a shot on target.

The battle in the middle is no less important. Arsenal were able to exploit Madrid's hollow midfield. Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti used a 4-4-2 approach when defending. The problem is, the two front players Mbappe and Vinicius are not very aggressive in pressing when without possession.

Madrid's four players in midfield were also burdened. The situation was less than ideal because 39-year-old midfielder Luka Modric was brought on from the start of the match. Modric replaced Federico Valverde who was placed at full-back. The gap was exploited by Arsenal's midfielders, especially Thomas Partey who served as the ball distributor.

The victory in the midfield made Arsenal's attack more efficient. Just look at the number of shots on target which reached 11 times from 12 attempts. Madrid was only able to test goalkeeper David Raya 3 times from a total of 9 attempts. If Arsenal had a world-class center forward, the score could be even more contrasting.

Ancelotti said he was happy with his team's performance in the first half, but not after conceding. "Our reaction was very bad (after going behind). We managed to keep a tight structure at times, but we were bad at other moments. The performance in the second half dropped drastically," he said.

Madrid's frustration was represented by midfielder Eduardo Camavinga. He was sent off with a minute left for a second yellow card. Camavinga kicked the ball after a foul was given to Arsenal. The player who worked the hardest to plug the gap in midfield is certain to miss the second match. (AP/REUTERS)