Bukayo Saka scored a decisive goal after an earlier penalty miss as Arsenal overcame Real Madrid 2-1 at the Bernabéu to secure a place in the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday night.
Arsenal entered the second leg with a 3-0 advantage from their dominant first-leg showing and held off Real Madrid in a fiery contest at the Santiago Bernabéu to progress 5-1 on aggregate.
However, it was the bust-up between Arsenal’s star man and currently-injured Real Madrid right-back Dani Carvajal that had fans talking.
After the half-time whistle was blown, Carvajal was seen first talking and then grabbing Saka by the neck, prompting him and other Arsenal players to push him off.
The Gunners were awarded a penalty in the 13th minute when Raul Asencio fouled Mikel Merino, but Saka’s chipped attempt was comfortably saved by Thibaut Courtois.
The England forward later redeemed himself with a composed finish midway through the second half, latching onto Merino’s clever pass and lofting the ball over Courtois to effectively settle the tie.
Real responded quickly through Vinicius Junior after a misjudged backpass by William Saliba, but they were unable to build on the opportunity. In stoppage time, Gabriel Martinelli finished off a counter-attack with Arsenal’s second, again set up by Merino.
The Spanish hosts briefly believed they had won a penalty earlier in the match when Kylian Mbappe went to ground following contact with Declan Rice, but a VAR review overturned the decision.
This marks just the third time Arsenal have reached the Champions League semi-finals. They will face Paris Saint-Germain, whom they defeated 2-0 in the group stage, although the French side have since improved under Luis Enrique.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, dealing with the absence of several key players and lacking a traditional striker, guided his team to an aggregate five-goal tally over Madrid – a team with a reputation for European comebacks.
Real Madrid, whose hopes rested on producing another ‘La Remontada,’ struggled to match Arsenal’s control across both legs. Manager Carlo Ancelotti will now turn his attention to the La Liga title race, where his side trail Barcelona by four points.
