Brilliant Arsenal knock out Real Madrid in style with 2-1 win | OneFootball

Arsenal secured a 2-1 victory against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu this evening, completing a commanding 5-1 aggregate win over the Spanish giants and sealing a place in the Champions League semi-finals.

Gunners fans had been dreaming of a night reminiscent of their last visit to Madrid in a Champions League knockout tie, when Thierry Henry scored the only goal to secure a famous win.

In the Spanish capital, there was a belief that if Liverpool could overturn a three-goal deficit against Barcelona in 2019, Madrid could do the same against Arsenal. That belief fuelled a frenetic start, with the hosts pushing hard for an early breakthrough. However, the Gunners remained largely unshaken.

The confident visitors had the perfect opportunity to open the scoring early, but Bukayo Saka’s tame penalty was comfortably saved by Thibaut Courtois. That miss appeared to energise Madrid, who then had a penalty awarded to them, only for VAR to overturn the decision moments later.

Arsenal may have looked overly assured for a side only recently returning to the Champions League, but with a 3-0 cushion from the first leg, their self-belief was understandable.

For much of the first half, it was Arsenal who looked like the team chasing the win. Their persistence paid off shortly after the interval, when Saka made amends for his earlier miss by calmly slotting home the opening goal.

(Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Madrid responded almost immediately, capitalising on a rare error from William Saliba that allowed Vinícius Júnior to equalise and give the home fans renewed hope.

Despite the setback, Arsenal’s composure remained intact. They continued to dominate key phases of play and created more chances than many had anticipated, especially against the most decorated side in the tournament’s history.

Their bravery was ultimately rewarded when Gabriel Martinelli fired home the winner, silencing the Bernabéu and confirming Arsenal’s progression.

The Gunners showed little fear in a venue that has seen countless comebacks and European triumphs, and for that, they were justly rewarded.