Arsenal staved off Champions League holders Real Madrid’s hopes of another magical European comeback with a gritty 2-1 away win on Wednesday night, completing a convincing 5-1 aggregate victory to seal their place in the semi-finals.
Playing at the iconic Santiago Bernabeu, Arsenal’s players stepped onto the pitch with confidence after their commanding 3-0 first-leg win in London. The job was only half done, but they played like a team that truly believed this could be their year.
Bukayo Saka opened the scoring in the second half to give the Gunners the lead before Vinicius Junior briefly restored some pride for the home side. However, Gabriel Martinelli delivered the final blow in added time, cementing a historic night for Arsenal.
This result marks the first time since 2009 that Arsenal have reached the Champions League semi-finals. They will now face Paris Saint-Germain, who also advanced from their quarter-final tie.
