Osamagbe Imadiyi
Arsenal secured a commanding 5-1 aggregate victory over Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, winning 2-1 in the second leg on Wednesday night at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. The Gunners, who led 3-0 after the first leg, maintained their lead despite an early scare and a missed penalty by Bukayo Saka in the thirteenth minute.
The match remained goalless at halftime, with both teams receiving early yellow cards. David Alaba and Raul Asensio were booked in the 4th and 11th minutes, respectively, while Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya also received a yellow card in the 36th minute.
Arsenal finally broke the deadlock in the 65th minute through Bukayo Saka, who scored with an assist from Mikel Merino after missing earlier. Vinícius Júnior leveled the score at 1-1 in the 67th minute, prompting Real Madrid to respond.
The game remained tight until stoppage time, when Gabriel Martinelli scored in the 90+3 minute to give Arsenal a well-earned 2-1 victory. Merino assisted once more, capping off an impressive performance for the Spanish midfielder.
