Arsenal booked their place in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2009, sealing a 5-1 aggregate victory over Real Madrid despite early drama at the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday night.
Goals from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli secured a 2-1 win on the night after Saka had earlier missed a penalty.
Holding a commanding 3-0 lead from the first leg, Arsenal had a golden opportunity to effectively end the tie in the 13th minute when Mikel Merino was fouled by Raúl Asencio inside the box.
However, Bukayo Saka’s attempted ‘Panenka’ penalty was weak and easily saved by Thibaut Courtois.
Minutes later, Real Madrid thought they had a penalty of their own when Kylian Mbappé went down under minimal contact from Declan Rice, but the referee overturned his initial decision after a lengthy VAR review.
Despite the missed penalty setback, Arsenal remained composed. Saka made amends for his earlier miss in the 64th minute, latching onto a clever pass from Mikel Merino and expertly chipping the ball over Courtois to make it 1-0 on the night and 4-0 on aggregate.
Real Madrid responded almost immediately, capitalizing on a rare mistake from Arsenal defender William Saliba just two minutes later, allowing Vinícius Júnior to score into an open goal.
Any hopes of a late Madrid comeback were extinguished in stoppage time. Mikel Merino claimed his second assist of the night, playing Gabriel Martinelli through on a breakaway, and the Brazilian finished coolly to secure a 2-1 victory for the Gunners.
The win confirms Arsenal’s progression to the last four, ending their 15-year wait for a Champions League semi-final appearance.
Mikel Arteta’s side will now face French champions Paris Saint-Germain for a place in the final.
For Real Madrid, the defeat ends their European campaign and leaves them to focus on chasing Barcelona in the La Liga title race.
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