Arsenal have officially ended Real Madrid’s Champions League title defense—and they did it in style. A confident 2-1 win in Madrid sealed a dominant 5-1 aggregate victory, sending the Gunners to the semifinals for the first time since 2009.
This wasn’t your typical late Real Madrid comeback story. No last-minute drama, no Champions League magic at the Bernabeu. Just a clinical performance by Mikel Arteta’s side, who now move on to face PSG in the final four.
Bukayo Saka, who missed an earlier penalty, redeemed himself with a cool finish to open the scoring. Although Vinicius Jr. capitalized on a defensive slip to equalize, Arsenal stayed composed. Gabriel Martinelli iced the game in stoppage time with a slick breakaway finish—game over, tie done.
VAR had its fingerprints all over the match. A five-minute review chalked off a potential Real Madrid penalty, while Arsenal’s early spot-kick (missed by Saka) came from another review. But no controversy could overshadow Arsenal’s performance—they simply outclassed the 15-time champions over two legs.
It’s now 12 losses for Madrid this season, and with their European campaign over, questions are starting to swirl around Carlo Ancelotti’s future. Whether it’s Xabi Alonso or Jurgen Klopp being lined up as his replacement, one thing is clear: this might be the end of an era at the Bernabeu.
Meanwhile, over in Milan, Inter knocked out Bayern Munich with a dramatic 4-3 aggregate win and will now face Barcelona in the other semifinal. European nights are delivering—and Arsenal just proved they belong on the biggest stage once again.
