UCL Update: Arsenal completes the double over Real Madrid to book semifinal date with PSG

Arsenal stun Real Madrid to reach UCL semis after 16 years; PSG, Inter, and Barcelona also advance in a thrilling Champions League quarterfinal week.

Bukayo Saka chips Thibaut Courtois to hand Arsenal the lead at the Santiago Bernabeu as the Gunners beat Real Madrid 2-1 on the night and 5-1 on aggregate. (Photo credit: @Arsenal)

The infants of Arsenal, often despised for the long talks of a seemingly endless process and near misses, still licking the wounds of a failed title charge, rose to the occasion at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday to advance to the semifinal of the Champions League.

After a 3-0 first-leg win at the Emirates, pedigree and Arsenal’s unenviable history of being capable of delivering underwhelming performances on the biggest of nights handed Real Madrid hope, but Arsenal remained calm under pressure.

Carlo Ancelotti made two changes to the team that was decimated at the Emirates, with Luka Modric and the suspended Edouard Camavinga both sitting this one out, while Aurelien Tchouameni came in after being suspended for the first leg.

Arsenal returned with the same lineup, and with more than 60,000 fans screaming down at the Gunners, Kylian Mbappe thought he had opened the scoring in the second minute, but the offside flag denied him even before he could wheel off in celebration.

Arsenal endured the early pressure, and their first foray into the Real Madrid area earned them a penalty, which Bukayo Saka fluffed. The penalty miss gave Real Madrid some energy; however, Arsenal contained them, and their possession didn’t count for much.

Arsenal silenced the entire stadium when Bukayo Saka chipped Thibaut Courtois off a brilliant pass from Mikel Merino to take the Gunners’ advantage to four goals on aggregate, and at that point, the hosts needed five goals to advance.

Vinicius Jr responded immediately, but it was a gift from Arsenal. William Saliba received the ball from David Raya – who had nothing to do up until then – and the Brazilian winger closed him down, dispossessed him and fired one to an unguarded goalpost.

That was all from the hosts as Arsenal shut things down and then hit on the break. Merino found Gabriel Martinelli in space on a counter-attack, and the Brazilian raced past everyone before slotting past the big Belgian in the Real Madrid goal.

The home and away victory over Real Madrid handed Arsenal the semifinal ticket for the first time in sixteen years, and their reward is a fixture against PSG, who got the better of Aston Villa 5-4 on aggregate after losing the return leg in England by 3-1.

Elsewhere on the night, Inter Milan completed the job against Bayern with a 2-2 home draw, with Bayern unable to overturn the 2-1 first-leg deficit. Inter Milan will now take on Barcelona, who beat Borussia Dortmund 5-3 on aggregate.