Arsenal beat Real Madrid again to reach UCL semifinal

Arsenal continued their impressive Champions League run with another clinical performance, defeating Real Madrid 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu in the quarterfinal second leg on Wednesday night. Coupled with their emphatic 3-0 win in the first leg, the Gunners cruised into the semifinals with a dominant 5-1 aggregate victory.

Real Madrid entered the night hoping for one of their trademark European comebacks, but their first-half display offered little optimism. The home side failed to register a single shot on target before the break, while Arsenal had the chance to widen the gap when Bukayo Saka won a penalty—only to miss it with a failed Panenka attempt.

Saka, however, made up for the miss in the 65th minute, putting Arsenal ahead 1-0 and extending their aggregate lead to 4-0. Just a minute later, Vinícius Júnior pulled one back for Real Madrid, sparking hopes of a revival. But those hopes quickly faded as the Spanish giants struggled to create meaningful chances.

In stoppage time, Gabriel Martinelli struck Arsenal’s second goal of the night, sealing Real Madrid’s fate and capping off a sensational quarterfinal for the Premier League side. The result sends Arsenal into the last four of the Champions League, while Real Madrid are left to rue a disappointing European campaign.