Declan Rice says Arsenal will achieve 'special things' after beating Real Madrid to reach UEFA Champions League semi-finals

Arsenal knocked out defending champions Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League with a stunning 5-1 win on aggregate. Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli scored the goals in the Bernabeu as the second leg finished 2-1 in favour of Mikel Arteta's side. Declan Rice - who scored twice in the 3-0 first leg win - spoke to TNT Sports after the match.

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice says the club is going to achieve "special things" after reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2009.

They knocked out reigning champions Real Madrid with a stunning 5-1 aggregate win.

Having won the first leg 3-0, in which Rice scored two sensational free-kicks, they put in another impressive display to win 2-1 in the Bernabeu.

Transfers

Liverpool receive boost in Olise pursuit, Barca target Munoz – Euro Transfer News

16 hours ago

Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, Rice said: "It’s such a special night for this club. It’s a historic night for this club. 

"We have an objective in this competition. We want to play the best teams, and we want to win this competition.

"There was a lot of talk coming here about them coming back because they’ve done it so many times before, but we had so much belief and confidence from that first leg.

"We knew we were going to suffer, but we knew we were going to win. We had it in our mind, and then we did it in real life. What a night for the club."

Highlights: Arsenal knock out holders Real Madrid

Video credit: TNT Sports

Bukayo Saka made up for a missed penalty with a cool finish to put Arsenal ahead in the second leg, before Vinicius Junior equalised moments later.

Gabriel Martinelli sealed the result in style with a late breakaway goal for Mikel Arteta’s men.

The complexion of the game could have looked different, though, if a first-half penalty decision to Real Madrid had not been rescinded. 

Rice was penalised for an alleged foul on Kylian Mbappe, who went to ground while the pair challenged each other in the box. However, after a long, five-minute delay, the referee and VAR decided to overturn the decision.

"I knew it wasn’t a penalty," Rice said after the match.

"Don’t get me wrong, I had my arm on him, but you have to do that in the box. You have to try and stop him, I’m not just going to let him go.

"He just fell to the floor, and it wasn’t a penalty, and I was fully confident it’d get overturned."

'I'm delighted to see that' - Penalty decision overturned after lengthy VAR delay

Video credit: TNT Sports

Arsenal will now face Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals as they prepare to play at that stage of the competition for the first time in 16 years.

"It’s massive. I sensed it before I signed for the club that we were on an upward trajectory as a club. I felt it in the players we’ve got and the direction we want to go in," Rice said.

"It’s been tough in the Premier League because last year we lost out by a point. This year, it’s slipped away from us.

"In this competition, we’ve done amazingly well and this club’s going to do special things over the next few years.

"We all fully believe it and we have full trust in this manager; he’s unbelievable."

'100% world class footballer' - Ferdinand praises Saka after performance against Real Madrid

Video credit: TNT Sports

Watch and stream Premier League and UEFA Champions League football live on TNT Sports and discovery+

Champions League

Nine Champions League oddities you missed this week

19 hours ago

Champions League

Set-piece again, Lewis-Skelly reminder, and what is Eze's best position? Arsenal v Atleti storylines

Yesterday at 10:40