Champions League: Arsenal begin to believe as Rice makes it happen

After Rice's heroics, the Gunners can now fully focus on the road to Munich for the Champions League final.

London: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta's mantra ahead of his side's Champions League quarter-final against 15-time winners Real Madrid was to "make it happen" and on Tuesday his players, roared on by a raucous north London crowd, did just that.

Arteta's side have become the nearly men in recent seasons, twice pushing Manchester City all the way in Premier League title races only to fall agonisingly short and narrowly bowing out in the last eight of the Champions League last season.

This season they would need an unlikely Liverpool collapse to win the English title, but after a 3-0 hammering of Real Madrid in the first leg, European glory is beckoning.

There is still an awfully long way to go if Arsenal are to win the Champions League for the first time, not least protecting their advantage in the Santiago Bernabeu cauldron next week and reaching the semifinals for the first time since 2009, but the events of Tuesday felt like a coming of age moment for Arteta's team.

Declan Rice, whose sizeable midfield skillset did not necessarily include scoring wonder goals, struck two sublime freekicks past Thibaut Courtois in the space of 12 second-half minutes to give Arsenal a stranglehold on the game.

His opener, a curling masterpiece in the 58th minute, was his first career goal from a direct freekick and Arsenal's first such goal in any competition since September 2021.

Rice, who conceded afterwards his original intention had been to cross the ball into the area, then topped that with another effort that left captain Martin Odegaard holding his head in his hands in disbelief.

According to data analysts Opta, the chance of Rice scoring from both freekicks was 0.23% -- so no wonder Arsenal fans are beginning to believe fate could be beckoning.

There are other factors, too. While failing to keep pace with Liverpool has been a disappointment, Arsenal can now fully focus on the road to Munich for the Champions League final.

The return of winger Bukayo Saka from injury for the business end of the Champions League could not have been better timed. Saka, looking refreshed after his lay-off, tormented Real on Tuesday and Arsenal fans will be keeping their fingers crossed that his withdrawal with a knock was precautionary.

Odegaard conducted Arsenal's attack in exemplary fashion, teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly looked made for the big stage and Mikel Merino, a makeshift striker in the absence of injured Kai Havertz, produced a finish of stunning quality.

"Collectively when you play the way we played and have the performance that we had, you need individuals at the highest level and I think they all took the game to a different level," Arteta said. "The individual performances were of the standard that is required to beat this incredible team."

Despite Arsenal's big lead against Carlo Ancelotti's team, Arteta has been around long enough to know that Real Madrid will not hand over their crown without a fight.

"You have to continue to make steps, and tonight we have won in the right direction," he said after. "We have to go to the Bernabeu and we're going to have to elevate the level again to be the team that we want to be there.