Arsenal outclassed Real Madrid with a 2-1 win in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday (April 16).
The Gunners had a 3-goal aggregate lead heading into the second leg and despite all the possible ‘remontada’ noises, Mikel Arteta’s men stuck to their plan and simply outplayed Los Blancos to reach the Champions League semi-final for the first time since the 2008/09 season.
The North Londoners started the game slowly, and their extensive lead from the first leg allowed them to play at their own terms, but a missed penalty from Bukayo Saka handed a big boost to Real Madrid.
In the 65th minute, Saka redeemed himself by handing Arsenal the lead. Two minutes later, Vinicius Jr. pulled Real Madrid back into the game following William Saliba’s mistake.
That was the only positive moment in the game for Los Blancos as Gabriel Martinelli scored the winner in stoppage time to confirm a 5-1 on aggregate over two legs.
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Overall, it was a very frustrating night for Real Madrid as they were the second-best team on all fronts. Following the game, Lucas Vázquez was not happy with the opponents, as you’ll see from his comments below.
Lucas Vazquez slammed the Gunners for ‘negative’ tactics
Speaking to Movistar+ via Mirror, Vazquez felt it was a complicated game and Real Madrid struggled to convert their chances. He was also not happy with Arsenal’s gameplay, especially in the first half.
“It’s a difficult moment. I think we tried today. It was a complicated match. We didn’t have all the chances we would have liked. We didn’t lose sight of the goal. There were interruptions [but] it didn’t happen. Maybe we lacked more clarity. More patience,” he said.
The 33-year-old, who stepped up as Real Madrid’s captain in the second leg due to Luka Modric’s absence, criticized the Gunners for doing “nothing” in the first half.
“They came to defend, to play their role. In the first half, they almost did nothing. In the second, with the team pressing, they found the victory,” he added.
However, the Gunners have more important things to worry about as they qualified for the semi-finals for only the third time and first since 2009. Arteta’s men will be locking horns against Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-final matchup.
The Parisians reached the last four by beating Unai Emery’s Aston Villa in the quarterfinals. So it will be a blockbuster clash between the two high-intensity attacking teams for a place in the final.
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