The defending champions from Madrid have their backs to the wall after the clear defeat in the quarter-final first leg at Arsenal London. A miracle is now needed at home.
09.04.2025, 06:54
dpa
The defense of the Champions League title is now a distant prospect for Real Madrid's footballers. After the fiasco in the quarter-final first leg at Arsenal London, there was only one reason for coach Carlo Ancelotti why the record winners should not give up on winning the trophy: a miracle at home in the Estadio Bernabéu next Wednesday (9pm on blue Sport).
"It seems impossible to progress tonight," said the successful Madrid coach at the press conference after the bitter and deserved 3-0 defeat in north London. "But we have to believe in ourselves. Because anything can happen in football - and a lot has already happened at the Bernabéu."
Jude Bellingham also echoed his coach's sentiments. "We're going to need something incredibly special, even crazy," said the midfielder: "And there's exactly one place where crazy things can happen: at home."
Dream goals from Rice let Arsenal celebrate
The hosts had gone into a real frenzy in the second half thanks to two dream goals from England international Declan Rice. The 26-year-old midfield dynamo for the Gunners had converted two direct free-kicks just twelve minutes apart before Mikel Merino made the final score a quarter of an hour before the end.
"The message from the coach was that we have to be completely confident in ourselves to beat Real," said Rice, who has scored four goals in his last three home games in the top flight. Mikel Arteta's team achieved that in impressive style. The coach therefore spoke afterwards of a "complete" and "great" performance.
In general, Arsenal are doing particularly well in international competition, especially against the Iberian representatives. The Londoners have won six of their last eight encounters with a Spanish team. The victory also secured England a fifth place in the upcoming Champions League season via the UEFA coefficient table.
Real still without a must-win against Arsenal
For Real, who have always been at least one of the top four teams in the Champions League since the 2020/21 season, these are not good prospects. What's more, Eduardo Camavinga, an important member of Antonio Rüdiger's defensive unit, will be missing for the second leg. The six-man picked up a yellow card in stoppage time.
And another statistic speaks against the "royals": Real have never won a competitive match against Arsenal before. So at least one first is needed if Ancelotti's men are to reach the final round this season. Whether there will be a miracle will become clear in a week's time.
