Real Madrid 1 – 2 Arsenal

Arsenal dumped holders Real Madrid out of the Champions League as a stunning 2-1 win at the Bernabeu sealed a 5-1 aggregate victory to set up a semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain.

Led by the talismanic Bukayo Saka – who dinked a superb finish over Thibaut Courtois in the second half, having earlier had a Panenka penalty saved by the goalkeeper – Arsenal quashed all the talk of a Real Madrid comeback following their three-goal first-leg win.

The hosts were given a lifeline as William Saliba was caught on the ball by Vinicius Jr shortly after Saka’s goal, allowing the Real Madrid forward to equalise, but Arsenal maintained their composure before Gabriel Martinelli added a breakaway winner in stoppage time.

The victory ranks as one of the club’s greatest in Europe and puts them into the last four of the competition for the first time since 2009 and only the third time in their history.

In truth, such an outcome never looked in any real jeopardy thanks to a composed performance which left Real Madrid, 15-time winners of the competition and masters of historic comebacks, deeply frustrated as they struggled to carve out chances against Arsenal’s organised defence.

Arsenal did have to come through moments of adversity, with Saka’s early penalty miss giving the hosts a psychological boost.

Real Madrid then had a penalty of their own overturned following a five-minute VAR check later in the second half, after Declan Rice was wrongly adjudged to have fouled Kylian Mbappe.

The home fans sensed the possibility of another epic ‘remontada’ when Saliba’s error led to their instant equaliser after Saka’s beautifully-worked opener, but their hope was short-lived as Arsenal reasserted their superiority.

Overall, they were the more threatening of the two teams, with Saka and Martinelli outshining Mbappe and Vinicius Jr in attack, Rice dominating the midfield, and Saliba and Jakub Kiwior excelling defensively, save for Saliba’s error for Real Madrid’s goal.

Martinelli’s late strike, slotted home with a level of composure typical of Arsenal’s performance, following a superb counter-attack started by David Raya, gave them a deserved victory on the night, ensuring they can continue to dream of lifting the trophy.

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Rice: We knew we would win

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice speaking to TNT Sport:

“It’s such a special night, a historic one for the club. We have the objective of playing the best and winning the competition.

“We had so much belief and confidence from that first leg and came here to win the game. We knew we were going to suffer but we knew we were going to win. We had it in our minds, then we did it real life. What a night.

“I knew when I signed this club was on an upward trajectory. It’s been tough in the Premier League but in this competition we’ve done amazingly well.

“This club is going to do some special things over the next few years – we have trust in this manager and we’ve got played like [Myles] Lewis-Skelly coming through. It’s a great mix. It’s PSG next who are an amazing team.”

Arteta: We have to be very proud of ourselves

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta speaking to TNT 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.

“To be able to win the tie in the manner we have done, I think we have to be very proud of ourselves.

“It is very difficult. After two or three minutes you realise anything can happen in this stadium.

“Fortunately, a lot of things went for us. Overall, we did what we had to do to win the game.

“The history we have in this competition is so short. The third time in our history of what we have just done and we have to build on that. All this experience is going to help us, for sure.

“We had full belief that we could beat this team and the players did it.”

Analysis: Arsenal’s historic night shows trophy-winning potential

Where do you start with this seismic Champions League victory by Arsenal? Maybe with another sensational performance from Rice, who won his battle with Bellingham and dominated the midfield.

Or maybe with Saka, whose missed penalty could easily have sent him into his shell, but from which he recovered to score the game’s opening goal, even replicating the style of his spot-kick with his dinked finish.

Maybe, though, central defenders Saliba and Jakub Kiwior are more deserving of special mentions. Saliba’s error for Vinicius Jr’s goal gave Real Madrid a lifeline but he was flawless otherwise, as was his partner in crime Kiwior, a player who has seized his chance in the absence of the injured Gabriel Magalhaes.

Then there is Mikel Merino, the makeshift striker whose two assists were key to the win and who continues to shine in a role he had never previously played.

The fact there are so many individuals who could be mentioned demonstrates that this victory, like that of the first leg, was a collective triumph more than anything, and another statement by a side ready to make its mark on the European stage.

On the evidence of these two games, against 15-time winners and holders Real Madrid, they will take some stopping.

Ancelotti: Arsenal were better than us

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti in his press conference:

“Arsenal have been better than us. We tried to do our best. Maybe the overturned penalty was a turning point. That could have changed it.

“But Arsenal defended very well. We found it difficult to find spaces. We were better than normal in our intensity level but it wasn’t enough.”

“We have done very well in the last seasons but this year we have had to suffer. Things haven’t gone as expected but in sport, it can happen because there are no unbeatable teams.”

Story of the match in stats…