- Arsenal defeated Real Madrid 2:1 in the second leg and advanced to their first Champions League semifinal since 2009
- Saka and Martinelli scored for the Gunners, while Vinícius Júnior equalised briefly for Madrid
- Mikel Arteta’s side eliminated the Spanish giants 5:1 on aggregate and will face PSG in the semifinals
Key Takeaways:
Arsenal defeated Real Madrid 2:1 in the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal tie. It was a second consecutive win for the London side, who had crushed their opponents 3:0 in the first leg. Mikel Arteta did not falter in the return fixture, as many had expected, and came out on top in a tactical battle against the much more experienced Carlo Ancelotti.
The match began at a furious pace. In the 3rd minute, a goal by Kylian Mbappé was ruled out for offside, and in the 13th, Bukayo Saka missed a penalty. In the 23rd minute, referee François Letexier awarded a penalty to the hosts, but reversed the decision after a VAR review.
ARSENAL TAKE DOWN 15-TIME CHAMPIONS REAL MADRID 👊
And reach their first Champions League semifinal since 2009 pic.twitter.com/DQigaWPbGN
— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 16, 2025
After the break, the home side threw everything forward in search of the goals they needed to turn the tie in their favour. Instead, they conceded a goal by Saka in the 65th minute, who redeemed himself for his earlier miss. The visitors’ joy didn’t last long, as Real Madrid quickly equalised through Vinícius Júnior in the 67th minute.
The Gunners, however, waited for their moment and struck again in stoppage time through Gabriel Martinelli (90’+3′), sealing the win and killing the suspense once and for all. With this success, Arsenal reached the semifinals of the competition for the first time since 2009.
Interestingly, back then, the Londoners also eliminated a Spanish team – Villarreal – with an aggregate score of 4:1 (1:1, 3:0).
As for Los Blancos, this marks the first time they’ve missed out on the Champions League semifinals since the 2019/2020 season, when they were knocked out in the first knockout round by Manchester City, losing 4:2 on aggregate (1:2, 1:2).
The Gunners will face Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals. The French giants have already eliminated two English clubs—Liverpool and Aston Villa—on their way to the final four.