Arsenal have booked their place in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals after a confident 2-1 second-leg victory over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, sealing a 5-1 aggregate triumph on Wednesday night.
The Gunners arrived in Madrid with a 3-0 first-leg advantage, but they didn’t rest on their laurels. Despite an early penalty miss from Bukayo Saka in the 13th minute, Arsenal remained composed and tactically solid throughout a tense encounter.
First Half: Tense but Goalless
Both teams started cautiously, trading yellow cards early on. David Alaba (4′) and Raul Asensio (11′) were booked for Madrid, while Arsenal’s David Raya received a caution in the 36th minute for time-wasting. Despite some pressure from the hosts, the first half ended 0-0.
Second Half: Saka and Martinelli Seal the Deal
The breakthrough came in the 65th minute, when Bukayo Saka made up for his missed penalty by calmly slotting home after a sharp assist from Mikel Merino.
Real Madrid responded quickly through Vinícius Júnior, who equalized just two minutes later (67′) to give the home crowd a glimmer of hope.
But Arsenal had the final say. In stoppage time (90+3′), Gabriel Martinelli capitalized on another Merino assist to clinch the win on the night and emphatically secure Arsenal’s ticket to the semi-finals.
Late Drama
Both sides saw more yellow cards before full-time, with Antonio Rüdiger and Thomas Partey booked in the 85th minute, adding to an already fiery contest.
