Arsenal did the unthinkable by holding off Champions League holders Real Madrid’s rich history of unlikely comebacks to snatch a 2-1 victory on Wednesday and reach the semi-finals with a convincing 5-1 aggregate triumph.
The Gunners’ 3-0 quarter-final first leg triumph at the Emirates last week gave them a vital advantage in the Spanish capital as they made the final four for the first time since 2009, where they will face Paris Saint-Germain.
Bukayo Saka, who missed a first-half penalty, sent Arsenal ahead and although Vinicius Junior levelled, the 15-time winners were never close to getting back into the tie.
Gabriel Martinelli further made it worse for Los Blancos with a stoppage-time winner for Arsenal, who have never lifted the Champions League trophy.
“We knew we were going to suffer but we knew we were going to win,” Declan Rice, who netted two stunning free-kicks in the first leg, said.“It’s such a special night for this club, it’s a historic night for this club… we want to win this competition.”
Los Blancos, facing injury issues and a shadow of themselves when they won a Champions League and La Liga double last season, were confident they could turn the game around but created too little against Arsenal’s stingy defence.
The Premier League side held their nerve to reach the semi-finals for only the third time in their history.
“It’s a difficult moment… it was a difficult game, we didn’t have all the chances we would have liked,” Madrid’s Lucas Vazquez admitted“We needed a bit more with the ball, maybe a bit more patience to be able to break through a very well organised defence — they did their job.”
Four goals ahead in the tie Arsenal thought their work was done, with defender William Saliba not concentrating on the edge of his box in possession.
Vinicius stole the ball away from him and beat the out-of-position Raya to level, two minutes after Saka’s opener.
Madrid’s increasingly slim hopes were dashed when Mbappe went off with an ankle problem with 15 minutes remaining, and Martinelli made sure with a cool finish after Merino set him up for his 2nd assist of the night.