"Rice, Rice baby!" - Freekick hero gives Arsenal UCL advantage

Arsenal stun Real Madrid 3-0 in UCL semifinal first leg. Rice's two free kicks and Merino's goal seal a masterclass, leaving Madrid with work to do.

Declan Rice wheels away in celebration after firing Arsenal in front against Real Madrid on Tuesday. Arsenal won 3-0. (Photo credit: GOAL)

Two sleek Declan Rice free kicks and a clean sweep by Mikel Merino saw Arsenal beat reigning champions Real Madrid 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal clash at the Emirates on Tuesday night.

Arsenal went into the game as the underdogs, as they were facing a team that never cracks under pressure and with a sacred pedigree in the competition; however, the Gunners had a different plan, delivering a masterclass in front of the home fans.

With Gabriel Maghalaes out injured, Mikel Arteta named Jakob Kiwior alongside William Saliba, with youngster Myles Lewis Skelly and Jurien Timber saddled with the responsibility of keeping Rodrigo and Vini Jr quiet, and oh boy, didn't they?

The opening exchanges saw a cagey affair, but Eduardo Camavinga would have opened the scoring with an own goal. Thibaut Courtois stood firm many times as the game entered the recess goalless, but it was Arsenal and Courtois who headlined the second half.

Declan Rice found the top corner with a sensational free kick, after which Courtois became a monster. The Belgian goalkeeper saved from almost everyone in the Arsenal attack, and it took an extraordinary free kick to beat him again.

Rice stood over the deadball situation not long after the opener and curled a fierce one past the big Belgian. From that point, it felt like Real Madrid would need a miracle to see Madrid avoid a real hammering in the hands of the Gunners.

Mikel Merino made it three in a crazy seventeen-minute rush by Arsenal, and at no point did it feel like the reigning champions would get a foothold on the game, leaving them with a mountain to climb in the second leg next week.

England midfielder Jude Bellingham was full of praise for the Gunners and disappointment for the entire Real Madrid squad: “Arsenal could’ve had way more; we were lucky to get away with 3 goals.”

“To be honest, there are no excuses... we have to look solely at ourselves. It’s similar to what happened to us all season, but against Arsenal it’s on a larger scale.” Bellingham believes there's still a chance for the champions at the Bernabeu.

"To score my first free kick in a game is a special one. And then when I got the second one. I just had the confidence. I'm speechless, really," Rice told Amazon Prime.

"To beat Real Madrid in this competition. It's a big night for us. When you score a goal, it's the best feeling in the world. It didn't make sense from that angle to cross the ball. It would have to be a delicate pass. And when I saw the wall, it didn't make sense to cross. You know what? I'm happy I took it because it was magic.