Arsenal defeat Real Madrid both home and away to qualify for the UCL semi-final
Arsenal have qualified for the semi-final of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League (UCL).
The Gunners booked the final-four ticket after defeating Real Madrid 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.
A late goal from Gabriel Martinelli put the icing on the cake for the London club after Bukayo Saka and Vinicius had already cancelled each other’s strikes early in the game.
Arsenal successfully did a double over the Galacticos after thrashing them 3-0 last week at the Emirates stadium.
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Although Madrid started the return leg determined to reverse the deficit from the first leg, Arsenal got the first real opportunity of the game.
Raul Asencio held on to Mikel Merino inside Madrid’s goal area, and a penalty was awarded to Arsenal, but Courtois swatted away Saka’s panenka effort from the spot.
Real Madrid thought they had a penalty of their own when Declan Rice and Kylian Mbappe wrestled inside Arsenal’s goal area, but the referee’s initial spotkick decision was overruled after a VAR check.
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Arsenal then drew the first blood deep into the second half after Merino found Saka’s run behind Madrid’s defence line. The winger finished the attack with a delicate chip over Courtois this time around.
Vinicius Junior pulled one back for Real Madrid, and the game looked set for a draw when Martinelli ran down the centre and finished off an exciting counter.
Inter Milan held off Bayern Munich for a 2-2 draw at the San Siro to qualify for the semi-final with a 4-3 aggregate win.
SEMI-FINAL FIXTURES
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PSG VS Arsenal
Inter vs Barcelona
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