What aura? Arsenal dismantle Real Madrid to prove they can go all the way
Bukayo Saka bounces back from a poor Panenka penalty to silence the Bernabeu and quell any hint of a Remontada from the Champions League holders
Real Madrid 1-2 Arsenal (1-5 on aggregate) (Vinicius Jr 67′ | Saka 65′, Martinelli 90+3′)
SANTIAGO BERNABEU — On the side of Madrid’s underground trains is an advert to visit the Santiago Bernabeu’s trophy-packed museum, described as the “place to dream”. Arsenal heeded the message, vacating the vast stadium with their Champions League ambitions intact.
It was a more comfortable evening than Arsenal could ever have envisaged. They were clinical in the first leg and disciplined in the second. PSG await in the semis and even that task seems less daunting after Villa shredded the Parisians’ nerves on Tuesday night.
“[It was] One of the best nights of my football career, for sure,” said Mikel Arteta to TNT Sports.
“To be able to win the tie in the manner that we’ve done it, I think we have to be very proud of ourselves.”
Madrid needed to score the first goal; Bukayo Saka got it instead. Mikel Merino teased a pass behind the defence and Saka dinked it brilliantly over Thibaut Courtois to settle the tie. It was a redemptive strike for Saka after his Panenka penalty fail in the first half.
Gabriel Martinelli added a layer of gloss to a golden night with a fine finish in added time.
Arsenal took on the 15-time champions and flipped the numbers to thrash them 5-1 on aggregate.
Madrid had tried to will a comeback into existence as soon as the first leg had ended.
They usually find away, but the Remontada never looked close to materialising. Their performance fell flat, with Vinicius Jr’s goal the one bright spot, gifted by David Raya and William Saliba. Aura? What aura?
“We have to accept that they have been better than us,” said Carlo Ancelotti after, with his future at the club now in serious doubt.
ARSENAL HAVE THEIR GOAL! ⚽
Bukayo Saka keeps his composure as he lifts the ball over Courtois 🥶
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/RvGxtgl3EB
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 16, 2025
It was strange seeing Madrid so ineffectual. A confident expectation hung in the air all day, like a hunk of Iberico ham in a city centre restaurant. Before kick-off, thousands of Madridistas crowded the Bernabeu’s surrounding streets to welcome the white-robed gladiators into their futuristic arena.
Smoke filled the air from a thousand flares and once the bus had vanished the fans feverishly marched on, led by a row of horses as though entering a medieval battle. Inside, a sprawling Tifo depicting a God-like figure and a chessboard was unfurled. The message was clear: Real Madrid, Champions League grandmasters.
Madrid’s intimidation tactics failed to have the desired effect. Arsenal expertly took the sting out of the game blending devious dark arts – Raya was booked for time-wasting after 35 minutes – with disciplined defending.
BUKAYO SAKA MISSES! ⛔
Real Madrid have a lifeline…
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/1meC2fURLC
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 16, 2025
The Gunners sat deep at times, but no London buses were needed to protect the goal. They started brightly, and Saka was the livewire. He had three shots in the first 15 minutes, including his miss from 12-yards.
Madrid needed help to get going. Mbappe took a theatrical tumble, the referee pointed to the spot, and an astonished Declan Rice was booked, ruling him out of a potential semi. After a second pitchside review, it was reversed, justice served after a maddening five-minute hiatus.
With inspiration lacking on the pitch, Madrid resorted to bullyboy tactics. The injured Dani Carvajal appeared to make a beeline for Saka at the break. Bellingham tried to rattle Rice into retaliation by grabbing onto his leg like it were a guitar. Arsenal kept their heads.
Nine minutes into the second half Martinelli started showboating and Arsenal fans began to Olé. Arteta strode to the edge of his technical area, motioning for everyone to just calm down. There was no chance of that after Saka’s chip.
Even after Vinicius’ leveller, Arsenal never appeared to be in danger. The mistake was shrugged off and order restored. There were superb performances across the pitch: Saliba nullified Mbappe; Rice dominated the midfield; Saka and Martinelli stretched Madrid with their pace.
When Martinelli raced clear and finished confidently into the bottom corner, a once raucous stadium fell silent, unused to seeing their team stifled in this competition. Their competition.
“Today and in London we had a very different mindset [to last season’s quarter final against Bayern Munich],” Arteta said.
“We had full belief that we could beat this team and be better than them and dominate them. But then you have to do it and the players did it.”
Arsenal’s mentality has been questioned following back-to-back runners-up finishes in the Premier League with a third likely to follow this season. This two-legged tie is proof they can handle the big occasion. They might just lift the biggest prize of all.
