The Emirates erupted twice Tuesday night when Declan Rice stepped up to two free kicks and struck with a level of skill that felt almost Beckham-esque. Arsenal had struggled to penetrate Real Madrid’s back line early on, but everything changed in the 58th minute, when Rice’s curling effort soared into the top corner. Thibaut Courtois, a goalkeeper of the highest caliber, was left frozen.
Real Madrid tried to regroup, yet the Gunners pressed forward. Minutes later, Rice delivered another stunner from the opposite flank, and once again the ball flew out of Courtois’s reach. Television cameras caught a brief glimpse of Kylian Mbappé’s raised eyebrows, a reaction that echoed the sentiment across much of Europe. Jude Bellingham simply shook his head, and in that silence you could almost hear the collective thought: “How on earth do you stop that?”
Speaking on Amazon Prime’s coverage, Alan Shearer summed up the wonder: “You thought the first one was impressive? Goodness me. The accuracy, the power, the bend, and the control on it. It is absolutely incredible.” Paul Merson, on Sky Sports, likened the Englishman’s technique to a classic, declaring, “It was similar to Roberto Carlos.”
A moment that could define a season
Some continue to question whether Rice was worth the roughly $125 million Arsenal paid to bring him from West Ham. His response could not have been more emphatic. Rice became the first player to score two direct free-kick goals in a knockout stage match of the Champions League.
Arsenal’s 3-0 victory pushed the reigning European champions to the brink. Mikel Merino sealed it with a goal soon after Rice’s second strike, and the home supporters roared as though they were witnessing history unfold. Manager Mikel Arteta praised the collective effort, but there was no escaping the fact that Rice had stolen the show.
Across the pitch, Real Madrid’s talent looked like it had collided with a force they hadn’t fully prepared for. Even Bellingham’s usually assured presence seemed to waver under the pressure of Arsenal’s midfield.
There’s still a second leg at the Bernabéu, and no one is writing off Madrid’s resilience. But for now, Arsenal fans will hold tight to a memory they may recall for decades: two brilliant free kicks, two unstoppable arcs, and the night Declan Rice conquered Europe’s biggest stage.
