Real Madrid star acknowledges Arsenal superiority after 3-0 beating – ‘They punished us’ | OneFootball

Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham did not shy away from the reality of his team’s performance after the 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

A second-half brace from Declan Rice – two stunning free-kick goals – and a well-worked strike from Mikel Merino ensured a big win for the Gunners, leaving Real Madrid at the brink of an early exit from the Champions League.

Speaking after the match, Bellingham acknowledged that the Premier League side were superior, and could have inflicted even more damage.

“We were not even close. That is the truth, and Arsenal were really good. I know two of their goals came from free-kicks, but they could have scored many more,” Bellingham told Amazon Prime (h/t Mundo Deportivo).

“They punished us, and that is what happens at the highest level of football,” he further stated.

Bellingham & co. were outdone by Declan Rice. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Despite the heavy loss, the England midfielder expressed belief in a possible comeback when the two sides meet again at the Santiago Bernabeu next Wednesday, echoing the sentiments shared by his teammates Lucas Vazquez and Raul Asencio.

“There is a second leg and that is what we are holding on to. We need something really special, something crazy. But if there is a place where crazy things happen, it is our home,” Bellingham said.

“We are still alive. We have 90 minutes of football and anything can happen at the Bernabeu,” he added.

Real Madrid have now lost two games in a row, first to Valencia in La Liga, and now against Arsenal in the Champions League.

Up next is another league game against Alaves and another slip-up there would spell even more trouble for Carlo Ancelotti & co.