Declan Rice delivered a performance for the ages on Tuesday night, scoring two of the most remarkable free-kick goals in Champions League knockout history as Arsenal cruised to a 3-0 win over Real Madrid in the first leg of their quarter-final clash at the Emirates Stadium.
What made Rice’s achievement even more extraordinary was the context: before this game, the midfielder had never scored a free-kick in his professional career—a run of 338 games across his time at West Ham and Arsenal. But on his 339th appearance, Rice finally broke that duck in the grandest way possible.
The first goal came in the 58th minute. Arsenal were deliberating over who would take the set piece, with Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka standing over the ball alongside Rice. The angle suggested a cross might be the safer option, but with no clear consensus reached, Rice stepped up and took charge. From 30 to 35 yards out, he struck the ball cleanly, curling it with power and precision beyond the reach of a fully stretched Thibaut Courtois.
“I’m happy I took it because it was magic,” Rice told Amazon Prime after the game. “It didn’t really make sense to cross from there—it would’ve needed to be such a delicate pass. I just had a feeling.”
Twelve minutes later, Rice repeated the magic. Another free-kick, another perfectly executed strike that left Courtois helpless once again. The Arsenal midfielder had done the unthinkable—scoring two free-kicks in a Champions League knockout game, a feat no player had ever accomplished before. He also became the first to score two in a single knockout match against Real Madrid, the competition’s most successful club.
The historic brace left even Rice struggling to find the words.
“I don’t know whether it will ever sink in,” he admitted. “I’ve gone back to my phone and it’s gone crazy. To score my first free-kick in a game is a special one. And then when I got the second… I just had the confidence. I’m speechless, really. I don’t think it’s going to hit me, what I’ve done tonight. It’s a historic night.”
A late goal from Mikel Merino added further gloss to the scoreline, sealing a dominant 3-0 win for Arsenal over the 14-time European champions and putting Mikel Arteta’s men in a commanding position ahead of the second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu on April 16.
With history on their side and the odds now firmly in their favour, Arsenal will look to finish the job in Madrid. But no matter what happens next, Declan Rice’s magical night under the lights in North London will be remembered as one of the great Champions League moments.
