It was one of the all-time great nights at the Emirates stadium as Arsenal put three past Champions League royalty and current holders Real Madrid. The Spaniards were unable to reply and therefore head into the second leg with a mountain to climb, which could prove too much even for a team of their calibre.
The Bernabeu stage is set, and Ticket-Compare has the ideal seat there for you to see this monumental game. Los Blancos fans might be wondering what their side has to do in reply to Arsenal’s dominant display in the first leg.
So what can both teams take away from the game, and how can they both build on their performance to ensure that they will be playing in the Champions League semi-final on 29th April.
5 Key Points We Can Expect to See in the Second Leg
Real Madrid have to be confident that they can progress
This is not the first rodeo for Real Madrid in the Champions League, and needing a result, they have done it for many, many years. You only have to look at the first leg of the play-off game against Manchester City, where they were 2-1 down with just 10 minutes to go; Madrid won 3-2.
They know that the performances against Arsenal were not up to the expectations that their fans deserve, nor was it up to the standard that manager Carlo Ancelotti expects of his new generation of Galacticos. After the final whistle, Los Blancos were adamant that they would be in the semi-final.
Lucas Vasquez gestured to the traveling away fans that they would be progressing with an epic comeback. Both Jude Belligham and Kylian Mbappe were accepting of the result and desperate to get back to Madrid for the second leg and set the record straight.
Mbappe was quoted as saying, “Yes, we can come back, of course,” Bellingham echoed the Frenchamn’s point by stating, “We have to be more humble, we’re going to need something special and if there’s one place (we can do it), it’s our home.”
If Madrid do find that swagger of theirs, then Arsenal could be in trouble.
Declan Rice can take free kicks
Not many people in the game realised that Declan Rice could take a free kick like former Real Madrid star David Beckham. Rice’s free kicks have captured the internet and put Arsenal in the driving seat for the second leg.
It is certainly a new weapon in Mikel Arteta’s arsenal (if you will pardon the pun), and given his focus on set pieces this season, it will make Real Madrid wary of giving away any sort of set piece in and around the box.
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will be working on saving free kicks in training this week for sure!
Can Arsenal thrive away from home?
In a coming of age performance against Real Madrid where every moment was being cheered, celebrated and embraces were happening all over the pitch, it could be the case that Arsenal do not have the same confidence away from home especially in the cauldron that is the Santiago Bernabaeu.
The stadium will be something else, and Arsenal have to embrace these moments, something Arteta was echoing last night from the sidelines, and they have to keep their cool. If Arteta is going to leave a legacy at Arsenal, making it through to a semi-final after defeating Real Madrid would equal the same run Arsene Wenger went on to his own Champions League final, where he overcame Real Madrid as well.
Real need to attack from the start
Ancelotti normally likes to defend strong and attack quickly but in this case he is going to have to get the ball moving quickly playing through his key men. It needs to be relentless from the first whistle if Real are going to hurt Arsenal.
They certainly have the capabilities to do this but will Ancelotti let them go for it from the first whistle, the jury is still out on if he is going to do that.
Real must close down Bukayo Saka
Arsenal have been incredibly grateful of the return of Bukayo Saka. It looks like he never missed a game as he has slotted straight back into the team to great effect. He jinxed in and out the opposition all night long and caused them issues which resulted in the free kicks that Declan Rice scored from.
It might be one way to stop him by kicking him, but Real felt the brunt of that method. David Alaba had a torrid night against him and will have to use all his experience in the return leg to shut him down quicker, further away from goal and most importantly, legally.
Shut down the Saka threat and Arsenal are less fluid going forward. It was a complete performance by The Gunners, it will be interesting to see if they can deal with the test in Spain.