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OBSERVANT fans spotted Kylian Mbappe’s “nice” reaction to one of Declan Rice’s free-kick goals last night.
The Arsenal midfielder scored twice from set-pieces, leading his team to a 3-0 victory over Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash.
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Mikel Merino contributed a third goal, putting the Gunners in a comfortable position as they aim for the semi-finals against either Aston Villa or Paris Saint-Germain.
The defending Champions League titleholders, Real Madrid, who have an unprecedented 15 titles, were left stunned ahead of the return match at the Bernabeu next week.
Key players like Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr found it difficult to make a mark on the game.
At the same time, coach Carlo Ancelotti seemed visibly upset as he observed Mikel Arteta maintaining control on the touchline.
Nevertheless, Mbappe caught fans off guard with his response to Rice’s second free-kick goal.
The £105 million midfielder executed a brilliant shot that curved around the Real wall and nestled into the upper corner of the net.
This stirred joyous celebrations among both Arsenal players and supporters.
Conversely, the Real Madrid players appeared even more disheartened at the prospect of exiting the competition.
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As Mbappe returned to the halfway line, he seemed to acknowledge the brilliance of Rice’s strike.
The striker, who transferred to Real from Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer last summer, watched as Rice’s free-kick sailed past Thibaut Courtois.
‘Please lend me your right foot’ – Injured Arsenal star requests Declan Rice in the dressing room after remarkable goals
As he made his way back down the pitch, the French World Cup winner was seen raising his eyebrows and nodding in appreciation.
Fans quickly noticed his reaction, with one commenting: “It’s a lovely response, just completely taken aback and showing admiration.”
Another noted: “He was definitely taking notes.”
One user remarked: “He clearly acknowledged it was a well-executed free-kick.”
Someone else added: “He recognized it was a fantastic hit.”
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…
The Arsenal midfielder put on a spectacular display in set-pieces, scoring the first direct free-kicks of his career against Real Madrid, making history as the first player in Champions League history to score multiple direct free-kicks in a single knockout match.
Thibaut Courtois played a crucial role for Real Madrid in an intense first half, making an incredible double save to thwart both a Rice header and a subsequent attempt from Gabriel Martinelli.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 58th minute when English star Rice executed a stunning free-kick.
Rice then sent the Emirates crowd into a frenzy as he scored a second with an even more spectacular free-kick from the left side, blasting it into the top right corner.
Mikel Merino sealed a fantastic night with a third goal, redirecting a low cross into the bottom corner.
Rice’s extraordinary performance earned him a historic ELEVEN in our player ratings.
Here’s how SunSport’s Jordan Davies rated the rest of the Gunners…
