Arsenal oust Real Madrid, reach 1st UCL semifinal since '09

Arsenal Kick Real Madrid out of Champions League Semifinals

In the Champions League semifinals, Arsenal knocked Real Madrid out of the competition with an exceptionally cool 2-1 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday-in doing so completing a phenomenal feath-credit, 5-1 aggregate margin.

The defending champions, whether they like it or not, wave goodbye to the dreams of a 16-time title winner, having spent most of the night chasing shadows. Having lost the first leg 3-0, they did not really look like they were going to recover from that much in the tie. There was little left to play for when Bukayo Saka struck, his score in the 65th minute almost sealing the deal.

Vinícius Júnior gave a frenetic crowd hope for just a couple of minutes into the game, snatching a defensive mistake but, unfortunately, this was not enough to spark a further comeback. Carlo Ancelotti's waiting team ended with a whimper.

Arsenal finished it off with a third goal in stoppage time when Gabriel Martinelli surged down the touchline and slotted it home, causing the most jubilation among the visiting fans.

Now the Gunners meet Paris Saint-Germain in their first Champions League semifinal since 2009.

"This is a beautiful night, a historic night for the club," said Rice, an Arsenal midfielder who played a crucial role in the first leg with two stunning free kicks. "There was so much talk about them having another comeback – they've done it so many times before – but we believed in ourselves. We knew that we could come here and win."

The Bernabeu opened up to thunderous noise at the kickoff. The plan of Madrid fans was to be present when one of the greatest Champions League comebacks was seen. But Arsenal quickly started dictating the play.

They were given an early chance to kill off the tie when Raúl Asencio clumsily brought down Mikel Merino in the box. After a VAR check, referee François Letexier awarded the penalty. However, Saka's attempt at a Panenka penalty was thwarted by an acrobatic save by Thibaut Courtois.

That attempt at a kill could have changed all momentum, and the Madrid fans thought they had been handed a lifeline when Letexier awarded the penalty at the other end following minimal contact of Kylian Mbappé with Rice. But the notorious VAR came to the rescue yet again; the decision was overturned much to the discontent of the home fans.

Except for that one brief worry, everything was as cool and calm as a cricket match for men. Most of all, it eliminated a great deal of testing from the keeper, David Raya, in that first half as the Arsenal defence absorbed a torrent of wild, hopeful crosses.

Mbappé, who many had pegged as a game-changer, was silenced on the day. As for Saka, he made amends for the earlier miss with a cool finish after being played through, putting result beyond doubt.

There was no chance that nerves would afflict Arsenal, even after William Saliba practically gifted Madrid a goal by losing the ball near his own box-his blunder allowed Vinícius to pounce. The icing on the cake was Martinelli's score at the very end. It sealed the deal and emphasized the visito.