Declan Rice etched his name in the Champions League history books with his incredible performance against Real Madrid at the Emirates.
The Arsenal midfielder became the first player in the history of the competition to score two direct free kicks in a knockout stage match. Even more impressive is that Rice accomplished the feat against the defending European champions, Real Madrid.
After a goalless first half, Rice completely turned the game around for the hosts in the 58th minute. The 26-year-old curled his first free kick around Real Madrid's wall and past Thibaut Courtois into the back of the net to give the hosts the 1–0 lead.
DECLAN RICE CURVES ONE IN BEAUTIFULLY 💫
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 8, 2025
ARSENAL LEAD AGAINST REAL MADRID! pic.twitter.com/60Q8bhbYxS
Just 12 minutes later, Rice outdid himself. Even from a different angle and side, the midfielder still sent another unstoppable free kick into the top right corner of the net. Real Madrid could do nothing but stand and watch as Rice doubled Arsenal's lead.
LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE FOR DECLAN RICE ⚡⚡ pic.twitter.com/XZHSlaCOj3
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 8, 2025
Mikel Merino joined in on the scoring the 75th minute, securing a dominant 3–0 victory for Arsenal in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.
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The end result is a dream for Arsenal and nothing short of a nightmare for Real Madrid. Los Blancos have now conceded 11 goals in their last four matches across all competitions and suffered 11 defeats this season.
Arsenal, meanwhile, maintain their unbeaten head-to-head record against Real Madrid. In fact, the Spanish giants have never even scored a goal against the Gunners; in three meetings, Real Madrid have come up empty.
Rice's MOTM performance helped give Arsenal a three-goal cushion heading to the Santiago Bernabéu next week.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Declan Rice Makes Champions League History in Arsenal's Rout vs. Real Madrid.
