In 2006, it was all about Thierry Henry. Arsenal became the first English team to defeat Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, capping off a remarkable win. The score on that occasion was 1-0.
19 years later, it was Declan Rice who was the hero. The score this time around? 3-0.
This great football club have had some incredible moments down the years but this was perhaps their finest night on the European stage. The Gunners had swept aside Real. The great Real Madrid, 15-time winners of the Champions League.
The tie may only be at the halfway stage and this is the inevitable Madrid, but Arsenal should savour this moment.
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Arteta will get his flowers, as will the defence for shutting down the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr, but this magical night was all courtesy of Rice.
How Arsenal downed Real Madrid on a magical night
Before the game had kicked off Arteta issued a rallying call to the supporters. Turn up early and get the stadium rocking. It certainly was. The atmosphere was incredible.
While it inevitably quietened midway through the first half, there were moments that certainly got fans off their seats.
They largely came from Bukayo Saka. Wrapped in cotton wool since his return to action after a hamstring injury, the winger was saved for this occasion and truly delivered.
He may not have scored, he may not have assisted a goal but in the words of Amazon Prime pundit, Daniel Sturridge, it was a night in which he “proved” he could play for Madrid.
In the first half, everything positive Arsenal did came through their number seven. Twice he drove to the byline, and twice his cross evaded those in red. Arsenal fans were crying out for a striker once again.
Come full time, they certainly weren’t. Step forward Rice and makeshift centre forward Merino.
Rice’s night, UEFA Conference League victory aside, was probably the finest of his career. He has played over 390 games in his career but had never found the net via a direct free-kick. That was until tonight. They arrived like London buses too, scoring twice in the space of 13 minutes.
The first was delightfully curled around the wall and the second was out of this world. It was perfect. The £105m signing proved exactly why so much money was paid out for his services in 2023, crunching the ball into the far left corner. Cue bedlam.
Then, when Merino added a third from the edge of the box, Arsenal fans could scarcely believe what had just happened.
To a man, everyone in red and white was outstanding. It wasn’t just Rice and Saka who stole the headlines.
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Arsenal’s future £100m hero stars against Madrid
There have been some landmark performances from Arsenal players in Europe.
This one from Rice was right up there. There was that famous night in Madrid itself. Henry the hero. Think Arshavin against Barcelona, Fabregas in the San Siro.
There was also Wilshere’s coming-of-age display against Barca at the Emirates. Well, if he hadn’t already come of age, Myles Lewis-Skelly did on Tuesday evening, putting in an elite performance on the biggest of stages, evoking memories of a teenage Wilshere in the process.
The youngster may not have scored but he did play a vital role, notably popping up with the assist for Merino’s goal and dominating one of European football’s grandest of teams.
The Englishman – adopting his usual inverted left-back role – was phenomenal, barely giving Rodrygo a sniff on the Brazilian’s flank.
In the words of the Athletic’s Aaron Catterson-Reid, he proved he is a “£100m footballer” with it “absolutely bonkers” the level of physicality he shows for an 18-year-old. Quite.
The teenager won four of his seven duels and came out the victor on several occasions. Not only did he dominate Rodrygo but Jude Bellingham was also left rattled by his England colleague after being dispossessed by him late in the game.
As scout Jacek Kulig put it, this was another “special” performance from a boy who is only going from strength to strength, completing 95% of his passes and managing two key passes. He also only lost the ball seven times from 74 touches. Incredible numbers.
Minutes played
90
Touches
74
Accurate passes
54/57 (95%)
Key passes
2
Clearances
1
Blocked shots
1
Tackles
2
Duels won
4/7
Possession lost
7
Successful dribbles
1/1
He has had his critics, notably when it comes to his ill-discipline but there is no doubting the elegance, the swagger and the confidence he plays the game.
This was an occasion where it would have been very easy to get overawed but perhaps the biggest compliment we can pay to Lewis-Skelly is that he made it look like he was simply having a kickabout with his mates.
Rice and Co stole the show but his Three Lions teammate, one of his new best friends, deserves equal amounts of praise. This most remarkable of breakthrough seasons is only getting better for him.
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