Arsenal Knocks out Madrid 2-1 in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal at Santiago Bernabeu, securing a 5-1 aggregate victory and reaching the semifinals for the first time since 2009. Arsenal’s win was supported by a 3-0 result from the first leg in London.
Gabriel Martinelli scored the match-winning goal for Arsenal in stoppage time after a breakaway. Earlier, Bukayo Saka missed a penalty given after a VAR review, but later made up for it by scoring in the 65th minute to put Arsenal ahead. Vinicius Junior equalised for Madrid soon after, following a defensive error by William Saliba.
The match saw two big VAR calls. Arsenal were awarded a penalty through VAR, which Saka missed. Later, a penalty originally given to Real Madrid for a foul on Kylian Mbappe was overturned after a five-minute VAR check while the game was still 0-0.
Read more: Liverpool Needs Just Six Points to Win Premier League Title
A Thread of Losses
Real Madrid, the defending champions and 15-time winners of the Champions League, couldn’t produce one of their usual dramatic comebacks and missed the semifinals for the first time since 2020. They were aiming for their third Champions League title in four years.
This was Madrid’s 12th loss of the season, compared to only two last year. After the game, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said, “It could be that the club decide to change [coach], it could be this year, or next year when my contract expires, there’s no problem.” He added, “The day that I leave here, I can only thank the club. It could be tomorrow, in 10 days, in a month or a year, but all I can do will be to thank the club – if my contract’s up or not, I don’t care.”
Madrid have been linked to Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso and former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. Ancelotti also stated that his team is still competing in La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Club World Cup.
In another match, Inter Milan drew 2-2 with Bayern Munich at the San Siro and advanced to the semifinals with a 4-3 aggregate win. Harry Kane scored for Bayern to level the aggregate, but Inter responded quickly through Lautaro Martinez and a Benjamin Pavard own goal. Eric Dier’s goal made for a tense finish, but Inter held on and will face Barcelona in the semis.
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