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Declan Rice has been involved in more than 400 professional football games without delivering a direct free kick goal.
Indeed, the £105 million midfielder for Arsenal has hardly aimed at goal with a dead ball over almost two seasons at the Emirates.
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What came next? In a Champions League quarter-final against the reigning champions, Rice scored twice within just 12 minutes.
Both goals came from 25 yards, catching Thibaut Courtois, one of the world’s elite goalkeepers, off-guard.
As the Emirates erupted in raucous celebration – chaos unfolded with bodies everywhere – Arsenal’s makeshift striker Mikel Merino added a third goal, ensuring a comfortable lead heading into the Bernabeu next Wednesday.
Real Madrid has a reputation for being resilient, but the Gunners are on the brink of securing their first Champions League semi-final appearance in 16 years.
Earlier this season, they successfully faced both potential last-four opponents, Paris St Germain and Aston Villa.
It was an extraordinary night, arguably the best in the 19-year history of the Emirates, outshining even the memorable evening when Jack Wilshere dazzled against Lionel Messi’s Barcelona.
Real, with their star-studded lineup, were completely taken aback – overwhelmed as they conceded three goals in just 17 minutes of the second half.
Rice was nothing short of phenomenal. He deserves to be unleashed from the restrictive holding role that he often finds himself in while playing for England.
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He nearly completed a hat-trick, as a header was foiled by an excellent save from Courtois, and a strong shot was cleared off the line by his England teammate Jude Bellingham, who barely had an impact on the match.
Mikel Arteta’s aim was clear – to conquer the world’s most celebrated club without an established striker and without a top center-back.
‘Give me your right foot, please’ – Injured Arsenal player implores Declan Rice in the dressing room after his stunning goals
Real, however, had no such problems. Four critical players, including Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr., who faced potential suspensions for provocative behavior towards Atletico Madrid fans in the last round, faced no real repercussions, unsurprisingly.
Luka Modric, now 39 years old and having participated in the renowned 4-4 North London Derby here 17 years earlier, appeared out of sorts for the visitors.
The former Ballon d’Or winner tripped Bukayo Saka near the penalty area early in the match and seemingly benefited from some generous officiating by Bosnian referee Irfan Peljto, who seemed overly impressed by the visitors and neglected to penalize misconduct.
Real Madrid, having been shaky in recent domestic matches, lacked their usual sharpness; Antonio Rudiger’s attempted clearance struck Eduardo Camavinga and nearly resulted in an own goal.
After Myles Lewis-Skelly moved into central midfield, surpassing Modric, Thomas Partey had a shot deflected away by Courtois.
Vinicius shot wide after the referee denied Arsenal a clear free kick, igniting discontent among the Emirates crowd.
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Real Madrid finally began to awaken after 30 minutes. Bellingham evaded Jurrien Timber and provided a pass to Mbappe, whose shot was expertly blocked by David Raya.
Mbappe started to showcase some threat, but it felt more like a meme than a real danger.
Saka made several low crosses across the face of goal, but with no recognized striker present, they went unconverted.
Just before halftime, Courtois was called into action once more. Rice’s downward header was instinctively parried before Gabriel Martinelli’s follow-up shot was repelled by the towering Belgian keeper.
Arsenal ratings vs Real Madrid as Declan Rice’s free-kick thunderbolts earn him an ELEVEN out of 10
Bend it like Beckham? More like bend it like Declan…
It was a set-piece masterclass from the Arsenal midfielder as he scored his first free-kicks of his career against Real Madrid; he is the first player in Champions League history to score multiple direct free-kicks in a single knockout stage match.
Thibaut Courtois was crucial in the fast-paced first half, pulling off an impressive double save to deny a Rice header and then Gabriel Martinelli’s follow-up effort.
The deadlock was broken in the 58th minute as England star Rice delivered a stunning free-kick.
Rice then sent the Emirates into euphoria with a second goal, an even more spectacular free-kick from the left that he rocketed into the top right corner.
Mikel Merino later slid in a decisive third from a low cross to cap a remarkable evening.
Rice’s exceptional showing earned him an unprecedented ELEVEN in our player ratings.
Here’s how SunSport’s Jordan Davies scored the rest of the Gunners…
Arsenal came back after halftime invigorated, yet anxiety lingered. With Real Madrid, uncertainty always arises regarding when they will spark to life.
Early in the second half, Ancelotti started fidgeting in his technical area. The veteran coach has won this title twice as a player and five times as a manager, in case anyone needed reminding.
Then the celebrations commenced. Saka dribbled inward and was fouled by David Alaba, and for once, Peljto awarded Arsenal a free-kick to ironic cheers from the home crowd.
Four Arsenal players engaged in a lengthy discussion before Rice was chosen to take the shot, prioritizing him over Saka or Martin Odegaard.
Rice assessed the situation, wrapped his foot around the ball, and dispatched it powerfully around the wall and past a diving Courtois. Boom.
A wave of excitement surged through the stands as Arteta’s squad sensed an opportunity.
Now, every Arsenal challenge, every pass resonated with cheers.
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Shortly after, Lewis-Skelly released Martinelli, whose shot was magnificently diverted by Courtois. The Belgian keeper then denied Merino, filling in as a false nine.
From the resulting corner, Bellingham cleared a powerful Rice shot off the line. The £105 million midfielder was playing like a man possessed that evening. Then, Saka was brought down again, 25 yards from goal, as if Real had not grasped the lesson.
This time, Rice aimed for height and dip, achieving an identical result—Courtois, at an impressive 6ft 7in, dove fully, yet still fell short.
It soon became farcical. Lewis-Skelly, in fine form, cut in from the left and delivered a slick pass to Merino, who calmly finished past Courtois.
It marked the Spaniard’s sixth goal since taking on the tenuous striker duties.
Arteta’s squad remained relentless. Real Madrid – the actual Real Madrid – were left in disarray.
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