13 jaw-dropping stats from Arsenal’s historic 3-0 win over Real Madrid
Arsenal beat Real Madrid 3-0 in their Champions League quarter-final first leg in one of the most famous nights in the club’s European history.
Arsenal came into the match having drawn 1-1 with Everton on Saturday, dropping more points in the Premier League and seeing their slim title chances vanish.
But Mikel Arteta’s side held their own against the Champions League holders, reducing a line-up containing Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr to half chances and speculative efforts.
Following a goalless first half, Declan Rice scored one of the best free-kicks you’ll ever see; his curling effort left Thibaut Courtois rooted to the spot and lifted the roof of the Emirates.
Twelve minutes later, Rice scored an even better free-kick. This time, his strike nestled perfectly in the top corner and caused many Gunners fans to rub their eyes in disbelief.
No wonder the cameras cut to Roberto Carlos watching in the stands.
Mikel Merino put the seal on Arsenal’s famous victory with a wonderful finish and Arteta’s team kept Madrid at arm’s length for the remainder of the game.
The Gunners will travel to the Bernabeu next week with a three-goal lead and full of confidence about seeing the job through.
Before the nerves return on 16th April (it’s still Madrid, after all), we’ve collected 13 stats from a historic night for Arsenal Football Club.
– Rice scored two direct free-kicks against Real Madrid, having not scored from a direct free-kick in any of his 338 previous matches for West Ham and Arsenal.
– He became just the second Arsenal player to score multiple free-kicks in the Champions League after Thierry Henry.
– The midfielder became the first Arsenal player to score a direct free-kick in the knockout rounds of the competition.
– He became the fifth player to score two direct free-kick goals in the same Champions League match, after Rivaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr, and Hakim Ziyech.
– AND Rice is the only player in Champions League history to score two direct free-kick goals in a knockout stage match.
– Mikel Merino has now scored more goals against Real Madrid (4) than any other club in his career.
– Myles Lewis-Skelly became the second youngest Englishman to start a Champions League quarter-final after Jude Bellingham against Manchester City in 2021.
– Lewis-Skelly had more touches (74), completed more passes (54) created more chances (2) & registered more assists (1) than Luka Modric managed in the game.
– Arsenal registered 11 shots on target against Madrid. That’s the joint-most on record (since 2003-04) by a team in a Champions League knockout stage game against Real Madrid (11 by Liverpool in March 2009).
– This was Real Madrid’s joint-heaviest defeat in the first leg of a Champions League knockout stage tie, along with a 4-1 loss at Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals in 2012-13.
– Arsenal’s victory was the 12th time an English side have won by 3+ goals in the first leg of a Champions League knockout stage tie, while each of the 11 previous instances have seen that team progress to the next round.
– Madrid have still never scored against Arsenal in three Champions League matches.
– Arsenal have scored 21 goals from set pieces across all competitions this season (excluding penalties); the most by any Premier League team.
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