Arteta praised Rice for his unparalleled performance after turning the game around

With goals from Saka and Martinelli, Arsenal beat Real Madrid 2-1 in the second leg of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals and advanced to the semi-finals. Arsenal coach Arteta praised Rice for his ability to change the situation of the game and said that the midfielder gave an unparalleled performance.

In the 65th minute of the game, Merino made a straight pass, Saka got the ball and shot into the goal facing Real Madrid goalkeeper Courtois, helping Arsenal take the lead 1-0.

In the 67th minute, Vinicius seized the ball and shot directly to the ground, helping Real Madrid to equalize the score at 1-1, but the total score continued to lag behind Arsenal at 1-4.

In the second half stoppage time, Merino assisted Martinelli to score, helping Arsenal expand their lead to 2 to 1. In the end, Arsenal defeated Real Madrid 2 to 1 at the Bernabeu Stadium, and defeated Ancelotti's team 5 to 1 on aggregate, successfully advancing to the Champions League semi-finals.

It is worth mentioning that the 26-year-old Arsenal midfielder Rice scored two free kicks in last week's game and was named the best player of the game in both rounds of the Champions League quarter-finals.

Arsenal manager Arteta did not forget to mention Rice's outstanding performance when he was interviewed. He said, "I think Rice's performance is simply unparalleled. He completely changed the situation of the game. When the game fell into a close match, it was he who controlled the situation with the ball. He seized the ball and turned the game around. He played a decisive role in this round of games."

"This is one of the best days of my career as a manager and it was a very special night. We were facing one of the most historic teams in this competition and they have always been an inspiration to all the competitors. We have to be very proud of ourselves for being able to knock them out in the way that we did."

Arteta pointed out, "Fortunately, many things went in our favor, except Saka missed the penalty. But overall, we did everything we should do to win the game. We are eager for success and want more. This is a young and determined team, including me, and these experiences will be of great help to our growth."

On the other hand, Arsenal's opponent in the Champions League semi-finals is the French Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain, who previously eliminated Bayern Munich, while Enrique's team also defeated Premier League giants Liverpool in the round of 16 of the Champions League.

Arteta said: "Our mentality will be to prepare well and strive to advance. Facing such opponents, we must do better, but I believe we are fully capable of doing it."