Football – Arsenal snuffed out any chance of a famous Real Madrid comeback to reach the Champions League semi-finals after a 2-1 victory in the Bernabeu Stadium completed a 5-1 aggregate win yesterday.
Holders and 15-times winners Real never looked like clawing back a 3-0 deficit from last week’s quarter-final first leg and when Bukayo Saka scored for the visitors in the 65th minute their fate was effectively sealed.
Vinicius Junior seized on a rare defensive slip a couple of minutes later to rouse the home crowd, but it proved too little too late as Carlo Ancelotti’s side exited in feeble fashion.
Arsenal’s superiority over the two legs was underlined in stoppage time as Gabriel Martinelli burst through to score.
They will face Paris St Germain in their first Champions League semi-final since 2009.
A cacophony of noise greeted kickoff with the home fans fuelled by the hope of witnessing what would have been one of the greatest Champions League comebacks.
They were silenced almost immediately though as Arsenal were handed the opportunity to kill the tie when Raul Asencio needlessly hauled down Mikel Merino from a corner and referee Francois Letexier eventually awarded a penalty after checking a pitch-side VAR monitor.
Saka opted for a Panenka-style chipped penalty though and Real keeper Thibaut Courtois clawed away the ball.
It looked like a potentially pivotal moment and when Letexier pointed to the penalty spot at the other end after Kylian Mbappe tumbled under minimal contact from Declan Rice, Arsenal’s night looked like taking a turn for the worse.
After five painstaking minutes, however, Letexier was again invited by VAR to view the monitor and to a chorus of whistles from the home fans, overturned his original decision.
Arsenal keeper David Raya was not required to make a save before halftime as Real’s predilection for hopeful crosses into the area proved easy pickings for the visiting defence.
Real’s Mbappe barely had a sniff of a chance as Arsenal showed great control and Saka made up for his first-half miss with a clinical finish after being sent clear.
William Saliba gifted Real a lifeline when he was caught in possession on the edge of his area, allowing Vinicius to score, but there was never any sense of panic in the visiting ranks.
Martinelli then put the icing on the cake in added time, to send the Arsenal fans into raptures.
Inter Milan reached the Champions League semi-finals with a 4-3 aggregate win over Bayern Munich after an enthralling 2-2 draw in the second leg of their quarter-final tie at the San Siro.
After a goalless opening half, Harry Kane put Bayern ahead on the night and level on aggregate seven minutes after the break but six minutes later Lautaro Martinez netted for Inter.
Inter then looked to have killed the tie off after another three minutes when Benjamin Pavard headed in from a corner but Bayern ensured a nervy finale for the home fans when Eric Dier scored with 14 minutes still remaining. The hosts held on under severe late pressure and advanced to face Barcelona in the semi-final with the Serie A leaders still on course to complete the treble.
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