Gunners shock Madrid with dominant display in Spain to reach their third-ever European cup semi-final

Bukayo Saka stood tall at the final whistle, shoulders lifted, eyes gleaming. It wasn’t just another big European night—it was a turning point. Arsenal strode into the Santiago Bernabéu and left with a 2–1 victory that confirmed a 5–1 aggregate demolition of Real Madrid. This wasn’t just advancement to a Champions League semi-final—it was the night the Gunners came of age.

What unfolded in Madrid was a masterclass in control, confidence, and calm under pressure. Mikel Arteta’s side had arrived with a commanding 3–0 advantage from the first leg in London, and they never looked like surrendering it. They silenced the white-clad faithful and defied the mystique of Madrid’s home with composed passing, patient pressing, and killer instincts.

It began with adversity. Twelve minutes in, Arsenal were awarded a penalty after VAR showed Raúl Asencio tugging Mikel Merino. Saka, cool as you like, stepped up—but under-hit the spot-kick. Courtois guessed right and palmed it away to send the Bernabéu into wild celebration. Yet the real story began there.

Unlike many before them, Arsenal did not crumble. Instead, they regrouped. When the referee initially pointed to the spot at the other end for a foul on Kylian Mbappé, Declan Rice’s protest paid off as VAR overturned the call. From then on, Arsenal dictated the game’s rhythm, suffocating Madrid’s ambitions with every well-timed interception and clever pass.

The opening goal was a symphony of team play. Raya launched a long ball, Rice flicked it on, and Ødegaard held his nerve before feeding Merino, who played a perfectly weighted ball into Saka’s path. This time, the English winger made no mistake, lifting a delicate chip over Courtois.

It was an outrageous show of nerve—and the home crowd knew it.

Madrid, listless and strangely flat, found an unlikely equaliser minutes later when William Saliba, distracted, gave the ball away and Vinícius Jr capitalised. But any flicker of hope in the stadium was snuffed out when Martinelli raced through the heart of Madrid’s fractured defence to slot home the winner in stoppage time. Arsenal’s fans erupted in the rafters—this was no fluke. It was a dismantling.

While Madrid looked tired and bereft of ideas, Arsenal were everything the hosts weren’t: organised, energetic, hungry. Ødegaard, Rice and Partey ran the midfield with maturity beyond their years. Saka and Martinelli were relentless. Even with Partey’s late yellow ruling him out of the first leg against Paris Saint-Germain, Arteta’s team look like serious contenders.

This wasn’t just about getting through. This was about erasing decades of self-doubt, about rewriting Arsenal’s European narrative. Their last semi-final came in 2009; their only final, in 2006. Now they’re back in the big time, and in emphatic style.

High above the pitch, the away section sang themselves hoarse, their voices echoing through the Madrid night. On the touchline, Arteta allowed himself a rare moment of celebration. His side had executed his vision perfectly.

No ghosts, no collapse, no Madrid miracle. Just Arsenal, commanding the Bernabéu, writing a new chapter in their history.