Courtesy: X
Gabriel Martinelli scored a late winner for Arsenal in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) quarter-finals, stunning Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, April 16. With that, Arsenal not only achieved a famous 2-1 win on the night, but they also knocked out defending champions Real Madrid out of the UCL with a mindblowing aggregate scoreline of 5-1, completely dominating them on their way to the semi-finals.
After winning the first leg of the UCL quarter-finals against Real Madrid at the Emirates Stadium in London with a 3-0 scoreline, Arsenal had the perfect opportunity to make it to the next round of the competition. In the first half of the second leg in Madrid, Arsenal got the chance to take the lead, but Bukayo Saka was unable to convert it, as his Panenka attempt was saved by Thibaut Courtois on the line.
With the scoreline still at 0-0, Kylian Mbappe was awarded a penalty by the referee due to a challenge from Declan Rice, but following the involvement of the video assistant referee (VAR), the decision was overturned. Ultimately, it was Bukayo Saka, who put Arsenal in front in the 65th minute, but just two minutes later, Vinicius Jr made it 1-1.
One of the best nights in my football career: Mikel Arteta
Real Madrid kept pushing for goals in the last passage of play in the UCL quarter-finals second leg, but the Arsenal defence stood firm in the face of pressure created inside the box. After one of Real Madrid’s attacks were thwarted in the second half injury time, Gabriel Martinelli got the ball, beating the opposition defenders and Thibaut Courtois in goal, to make it 2-1 on the night.
Watch the video here:
Following the famous victory for Arsenal, their manager Mikel Arteta was quoted as saying, as per BBC Sport, “One of the best nights in my football career. We played against a team with the biggest history. It has been an inspiration for all of us on this competition.”
