Jude Bellingham believes Real Madrid were “lucky” to only concede three as Arsenal seized the advantage in their Champions League quarter-final tie.
The reigning European champions were condemned to a damning 3-0 loss at the Emirates, with a stunning Declan Rice free-kick double leaving Los Blancos with a mountain to climb in the return leg next week.
Bellingham believes Real could have easily lost by a worse margin given the sheer number of chances Arsenal fashioned throughout the contest, having persistently knocked at the door in the first half.
While stating the tie isn’t beyond recovery just yet, the Englishman is quick to insist that it will take something “special” for Real Madrid to keep their Champions League defence alive.
“We’re lucky to get away with only three,” he said.
“We were nowhere near it, that is the fact and Arsenal were really good.
“Two of the goals are really good free kicks but to be honest they could have had way more.
“But there is a second leg, we are holding onto it, we will need something unbelievably special.
“You never know, but I cant come out and say we will give up, it’s not in the nature of the club and the mentality they instill in you.
“They [the free kicks] are two pieces of individual quality. If it wasn’t for them they still had a number of chances and we got punished and that happens.
'We had a chance but in these games you need to create more. Very rarely do you come here and score one and go through. We just didn’t do enough, got to the final third multiple times but they reacted well and we didn’t do enough with the ball. We are still alive, we still have 90 minutes.”
Rice’s double was added to by Mikel Merino 15 minutes from time, tucking home expertly on the retreat to vindicate Arteta’s continued decision to play the central midfielder as a makeshift number nine.
Arsenal will now look to defend their significant advantage in next week’s second leg as they travel to the Santiago Bernabeu on April 16, currently on the verge of a spot in the last four.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid will require a stunning turnaround to deny the Gunners from Champions League progression, with the clash potentially posing a boom or bust scenario for manager Carlo Ancelotti.
The winners of the tie will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Aston Villa in the semi-finals, who meet for the first time in the French capital this evening.
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