Declan Rice twice sent the Emirates into raptures against Real Madrid, and even amongst Arsenal‘s cool heads on Tuesday evening there was a sense of disbelief. Never before had the Gunners midfielder scored directly from a free kick, and it’s more than three years since Arsenal managed the feat.
To produce two outstanding efforts from a dead ball against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final has Gunners fans dreaming of European glory. The England international sent the north London side well on their way to a 3-0 victory as Mikel Merino rounded off the scoring with a fine strike of his own.
While Rice was twice mobbed by his team-mates on the pitch, the appreciation did not stop there. There was some acceptance the job was only halfway done, but there was time for celebration in the depths of the north London side’s dressing room
And injured defender Gabriel Magalhaes was happy to lead that charge. The Brazilian made his way to the changing room from the stands and soon captured his team-mate on his Instagram Story.
“Hey you!” he called out to Rice. “Oh my god. Oh my god. Give me your right foot please, please, please. Come here Dec, give me, give me, give me, unbelievable brother.”
Gabriel was not alone in showing his appreciation as Gabriel Martinelli and Jurrien Timber also took their time to capture the moment. The Arsenal stars each found time to take a picture with Rice.
Timber put his arm around the Arsenal star before posting to his own Instagram story with a heart. Brazilian winger Martinelli meanwhile let his picture do all of the talking.
The 23-year-old managed to take a snap of Rice with a big smile on his face with each raising their fist to the camera. Rice even commented ‘that’s my winger!!!’ on his team-mate’s post.
Rice believes his night will only sink in during the years to come. The 26-year-old knows there is still work to do at the Bernabeu.
“Originally we were going to cross the first one, but I saw the wall and the goalkeeper’s position,” he said follwing the match. “The second one I had the confidence and I hit it.
“It’s not going to hit me yet because there’s another leg to go. I’m excited, I’m happy, I’m over the moon. It’s the best feeling in the world. In a few years’ time it will hit me that what I’ve done tonight is really special.”
Arteta was also more than happy to reflect on Rice’s quality. “He has never scored a free kick in his career, we have not scored a direct free kick since Burnley away in September 2021. What are the odds?” the Spaniard said.
“It was two moments of individual quality and we have to show we can do that again next week. Real Madrid changed the competition, they are the best team in the history of the competition and it was so important for us to take the next step.”
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