Arsenal 3-0 Real Madrid: Rice cooks twice as Gunners produce something special

Match report – Player ratings – Arteta reaction – Video

This is the 23rd year of Arseblog’s existence. Someone (thanks JBoz) emailed me yesterday, in the midst of their pre-game nerves, to say: “Fun fact, I’m sure I read you like numbers. Just on daily blog posts, you have written between 6-9 million words. Which is between 2×3 times more than Tolstoy, the original long form writing king. That’s pretty f*cking nuts.”

It is. And yet I’m sitting here this morning and I don’t really know where to start. I feel kind of emotional about a game of football than finished hours ago, but then I think that’s all right. Isn’t that what it’s supposed to do, for better or worse? Last night felt like uncovering a rare gem or something, because even in my wildest dreams I didn’t expect that.

Mikel Arteta picked the team I thought he would, with Jakub Kiwior in for Gabriel, and Bukayo Saka starting for the first time since his injury. Inside the opening five minutes, both of those players made mistakes which handed shooting chances to Real Madrid. One resulted in an easy save for David Raya, the other blocked off by the brilliant William Saliba whose coolness in defensive situations like this is as fundamental to this team as any of our other best qualities.

But then Real Madrid looked a bit nervy too. Rudiger cleared a cross off his own man which went just wide; Courtois had to slap a Saka corner from underneath his crossbar; Mikel Merino set up Thomas Partey for a chance which the keeper saved, and that came after one the midfielder’s headers from another corner didn’t go in because it hit Saliba on the line. All that in the opening 13 minutes.

There was a VAR check for a penalty for us but it would have been a travesty of a decision if it had been given. We were playing well and with confidence, but the speed with which Real make can things happen was scary. A slight lapse on our part and a brilliant Bellingham pass sent Mbappe through on goal, but the finish wasn’t quite there – credit to Raya too for making the save. That threat was always present in that first half as we pressed higher up the pitch.

Saka came to life, producing a couple of low crosses that made you pine for that fox in the box, before Jurrien Timber’s cross saw Courtois make a fantastic double save – first from Rice’s good header, then Martinelli’s near post follow up. It was intense, it was breathless, it was high-quality, and we were more than a match for them in that first half.

Mbappe had another chance early in the second half, firing into the side-netting, Partey got booked for a foul on Camvinga, and Rice almost got a great pass from Lewis-Skelly under control in their box. Then, with 57 minutes on the clock, Saka was fouled outside the area. Free kick to Arsenal, in a decent position, but then it’s been so long since we scored a direct free kick I was hopeful rather than expectant.

Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard were there. Rice, 339 games into his professional career, having never scored a direct free kick, produced what I thought in that moment was going to be one of the best free kicks I’d seen in a long, long time. He hit it with real power outside the Real Madrid wall, starting it outside the far post and curling it just back inside to make it 1-0. Shades of Roberto Carlos’ famous strike for Brazil, but an unbelievable way to open the scoring.

It seemed to rattle Madrid. We had a flurry of chances after that with Martinelli’s shot saved, Merino’s follow up blocked on the line, and then Courtois producing another outstanding stop as the Spaniard leathered it back at goal. Then Bellingham stopped a Rice effort on the line, and you wondered how we hadn’t scored a second. Turns out we just needed another free kick, which Saka duly won just outside the D, this time to the left of it rather than the right from where the first one was taken.

Rice, imbued with all the confidence in the world after his previous effort, stood over it again. He couldn’t surely? There was no way after waiting so long for a goal from a free kick that we’d score two in one game. Anyway, from this distance, with a keeper like Courtois, it’d require something extra special to beat him. Which, my friends, is exactly what we got.

When people say ‘top corner’, they usually mean something in that vicinity. This though, as top corner as it gets. The toppest-corneriest goal you will ever see. The power, the precision, the importance, the occasion. I’m even getting goosebumps writing about this morning. Odegaard put his hands on his head like he couldn’t believe what he had just seen. Jorginho did the same as he ran onto the pitch to celebrate, realised he probably shouldn’t, did a little nervous shuffle then said ‘Sod it!’ and joined in.

Maybe I’m still a bit high on that supply, but I genuinely think those are two of the greatest free kicks you will ever see in tandem at this level. I’m still not sure which one is the best. It’s probably the second one, but wait, the way the first curls around the wall and in, but then again the top corner element of the second … but the first one broke the deadlock … I dunno. Maybe we have to view them like children, you love them both exactly the same, but just a bit differently.

Saka came off having been hurt in the challenge that won the second free kick, replaced by Leandro Trossard, and the Belgian was involved in the third goal which came just minutes later. Rice carried it forward, Trossard played it to the incredible Lewis-Skelly who spotted nice movement from Merino to step away from his marker. He swung his left foot at it first time, producing a smart finish which nestled beautifully into the bottom corner to make it 3-0.

Three goals in 17 minutes. 3-0 to the Arsenal. Real Madrid absolutely shell-shocked. Bellingham and Mbappe in TV close-ups looking like they couldn’t understand what was happening. A yellow card for Camavinga ruled him out of the second leg, a second one just before the end saw him sent off. The threat of a late goal for Madrid was always there, but nothing was going to spoil this evening, and at the final whistle Arsenal had done something remarkable, something very, very special.

A few days ago there was frustration, verging on indifference to a 1-1 with Everton. Now this. Football, bloody hell. A game that gets you down, but can lift you to the highest highs. Asked afterwards where those free kicks had been until now, Rice said:

It’s been in the locker! I’ve hit the wall too many times where it’s gone over the bar, and originally I was going to cross it, and then I just saw the wall, and the goalkeeper’s position, and I see the outside of the wall, and it went in. And then the second one I just had the confidence, and I hit it, and yeah, it’s not going to hit me yet, because there’s another leg to go, and I’m excited, I’m happy, I’m over the moon, I don’t mean to be cliche, but in a few years’ time I think this will hit me, what I’ve done tonight is really special.

While a jubilant Mikel Arteta spoke to the press and said:

I’m very proud, we had a very complete and big performance collectively and you need that in the organisation and what we had to do to dominate the game and to create Madrid problems. This night is about all two factors, one is the atmosphere that we created 15 minutes before kick-off is something I haven’t seen before, so playing with that energy, with that commitment with your crowd makes a huge difference. And then magic moments, individual moments that decide all matches and the first two goals of Declan sums up the night.

Those that were there last night should feel fortunate, because that was almost certainly the best European night at that stadium. I think it tops the Arshavin/Barcelona game, by virtue of the overall performance. We were just so good last night, and let’s remember that this is a team that is far from full strength, with important players missing, and some of them not at 100% fitness. I know the opposition had some injuries too, but the performance the manager and those players produced deserves huge credit.

I know the headlines and the spotlight will be on Rice, for obvious reasons, but I feel it would be remiss of me not to mention Lewis-Skelly whose individual display at 18 years of age, at this level, against this opposition, was nothing short of sensational. I was in the Bernebeu in 2006 when Thierry Henry scored that goal, but I remember clearly the Spanish press talking about a ‘coming of age’ performance from Cesc Fabregas. I think we saw something similar last night from MLS – the level of ability and personality you need to do that against this opposition on this stage is amazing – and he deserves every plaudit he gets this morning.

I hope that it makes people realise that we are witness to the emergence of a very special talent. When I say that, I mean people outside of Arsenal who have been too keen to talk him down and take him down for minor infractions that barely get a mention if carried out by another player. I know that within the club, and around him, from the fans etc, that his talent will be protected and nurtured, but any reputation he has should be based on his quality as a footballer and what he is producing on the pitch for Arsenal and, let’s not forget, for England too now.

So, to conclude, I feel like I need to go watch everything again. Twice. This is a game that needs to be enjoyed. It is only half-time, and there’s a second leg to deal with against a team whose record in this competition is second to none. But after a night like that, you have to let yourself bask in the warm glow of what you’ve seen. They don’t come along that often, so just be happy, be proud, be appreciative of how what this team did makes you feel right now.

Moments like this are rare, cherish them.

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By the way, to help you enjoy it further, we’re gonna do a half an Arsecast Extra for you this morning. Time constraints mean we can’t do the questions bit, but you can join me and James a bit later to go over and analyse that incredible game of football.

For now, get all that content into you. GROW LARGE WITH ARSENAL 3-0 REAL MADRID.

Love you all. Thanks for being here.

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