Arsenal

Andy Cryer
BBC Sport Senior Journalist

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It was a night Arsenal fans will never forget.

A dramatic 2-1 win against Real Madrid in a hostile Bernabeu secured the Gunners just a third Champions League semi-final - and a first since 2009 - after an impressive first-leg 3-0 win.

Overall, it has not been an easy season for Mikel Arteta to say the least.

In his five years at the club, he has helped Arsenal recover from mediocrity to become consistent challengers at the top of the game but - with just the 2020 FA Cup to his name - frustration has been growing in some quarters.

Having to settle for second place again in the Premier League and going out of the FA Cup has started to test the patience for some supporters - even though other sections say injuries to players - plus the obvious lack of a striker have been a mitigating factor.

The manner of this victory over Real should help to win over some doubters, though, as Arteta's side again show their new-found big-game mentality.

One supporter, Akkani, told BBC Sport: "Arteta's tenure in general has been a rollercoaster. Now we are in our best moment. Given the context of our season, the adversity we have gone through. The ups and downs. It has been a great season.

"It's been the most beneficial season in our recent history. This season more than ever he has had to earn his stripes. For us to be here with this group of players, it's credit to the manager."

Fellow Gunners fan Tyler added: "I think from day one we had a depleted squad that wasn't where we should be historically if you look at an Arsenal side.

"Arteta has done very well to get us to where we are now, everyone reading off the same hymn sheet. It's exciting."

Alex Howell
BBC Sport football news reporter at the Bernabeu

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It was hard to imagine that Arsenal were going to be able to produce a performance that would be better than the first leg - but this game came close.

The Gunners had a clear remit to not get dragged into the emotion created by the Bernabeu crowd.

Bukayo Saka had the perfect chance to silence the home support after Raul Asencio pulled down Mikel Merino but made an uncharacteristically poor choice from the spot, allowing Thibaut Courtois to save his chip with ease.

But Mikel Arteta's side were never in serious danger of losing the match by such a margin that would see them knocked out.

The Gunners have not lost by a four-goal margin since a 4-0 defeat by Liverpool at Anfield in November 2021.

And it is 100 games since they conceded more than twice - a 4-3 win at Luton in December 2023.

Arteta deserves credit too for the way he has overcome a number of injuries to key players and led his side to score five past Real without a recognised striker.

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Former Arsenal striker Theo Walcott feels "important" midfielder Thomas Partey could be a "miss" against Paris Saint-Germain.

The Gunners will be without the 31-year-old for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against PSG after he picked up his third booking of the tournament on Wednesday night.

Fellow midfielder Declan Rice showed his frustration towards Partey after he picked up the yellow card for getting involved in an incident with Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger.

Speaking on MOTD: Uefa Champions League, Walcott said: "Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain are definitely the two best teams in this season's Champions League, and the semi-final is going to be a completely different story to when Mikel Arteta's side beat them 2-0 at the Emirates in October.

"PSG hadn't really clicked then, but they have now. Arsenal will be ready for them, but I think they might miss Thomas Party, who is suspended after his yellow card tonight.

"He was so important at the Bernabeu, not just with the way he was getting back into the back-line and to help out with the amount of crosses he was dealing with tonight.

"Partey was also helping Arsenal to slow the ball down and to control the midfield. The PSG game is all going to be about the midfield for me and Declan Rice is now probably going to play a game with someone who he is less familiar with.

"Mikel Merino can drop in there, but that might affect the forward line more because of where he has been playing recently.

"This is what Mikel Arteta will be thinking about now, and he might tinker with a few things against Ipswich and Crystal Palace, to try things out before the semi-final."

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, speaking to TNT Sports: "One of the best nights in my football career.

"We played against a team with the biggest history. It has been an inspiration for all of us in this competition.

"To be able to win the tie in the manner we have done - I think we have to be very proud of ourselves.

"It is very difficult. After two-to-three minutes you realise anything can happen in this stadium.

"Fortunately, a lot of things went for us. Overall, we did what we had to do to win the game.

"The history we have in this competition is so short. The third time in our history of what we have just done and we have to build on that.

"All this experience is going to help us, for sure."

"We had full belief that we could beat this team and the players did it."

On facing PSG: "I watched the game last night and it was a crazy game.

"I know the manager [Luis Enrique] really well, but let's enjoy tonight.

"They're a different team now and they're on an incredible run at the moment."

On Declan Rice: "Tonight, he was immense. He turned the game around. He was immense today. He made a difference."

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Arsenal's Bukayo Saka, speaking to TNT Sports: "We showed that we can play in Europe and beat one of the best teams in the world, home and away. Very proud of this team.

"Tonight was a big statement and I am so happy for everyone."

On his penalty miss: "It can happen. I tried something, but it didn't work. I was confident I was going to score tonight.

"I learn in every moment. Tonight, I am more focused on enjoying the win and then I will review it properly."

On the game: "We felt comfortable. We are quite good when we get into a low block. It took a lot of running but we managed to do it."

On facing PSG: "Much different, I see them playing with much more confidence. We will be ready and it will be a very good match."

On whether Arsenal can win the Champions League: "Yes. I like to believe that."

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Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice, speaking to TNT Sports: "It is such a special night for this club, a historic night for this club. We had an objective in this competition - we want to win this competition.

"We had so much belief and confidence that we had enough to come here and win the game.

"We had it in our mind and we have done it in real life. What a night for the club.

"It is massive. I sensed it before I turned up to the club that we were on an upward trajectory.

"In this competition, we have done amazingly well. We fully believe it and we have full trust in the manager - he is unbelievable.

"Semi-final, it is massive for us and we want to take tonight in."

On Real Madrid's penalty being overturned: "I knew it wasn't a penalty. I had my arm on him [Kylian Mbappe], but I knew it wasn't a pen. I am an honest guy.

"He fell to the floor and I was fully confident it would get overturned.

"In the end we got the job done and it is a historic night for the club."

On PSG: "Top team. We played them once already, but they're a different team to what they were back then."

Full-back Myles Lewis-Skelly, also speaking to TNT Sports: "It was incredible. When you see it [Bernabeu] on TV it is a lot different to what it is live.

"The fans don't make it easy for us. As long as we stuck together and backed each other through the high and lows we would be fine."

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Arsenal are unbeaten in their four games against Real Madrid in European competition (W3 D1), while only one side have ever gone more consecutive games against Los Blancos in the European Cup/Champions League without losing (seven for Lyon, September 2005-February 2011).

Meanwhile, Bukayo Saka has been directly involved in 15 goals in 16 Champions League appearances for Arsenal (nine goals, six assists). Of players with 1000+ minutes played for the Gunners, Saka has the best minutes per goal or assist ratio (87) for them in the competition.

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Jess Anderson
BBC Sport journalist

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On three out of the past four occasions where Real Madrid have trailed after the first leg in the Champions League, they have fought back to reach the next round - against Wolfsburg in 2015-26 and in 2021-22 against both Paris St-Germain and Manchester City.

But Arsenal can take belief from the fact that this is the joint-largest deficit Madrid have ever trailed by heading into a Champions League second leg.

The last time they faced such a task was against Borussia Dortmund in the 2012-13 semi-final, when Robert Lewandowski netted a hat-trick in a 4-1 win for Jurgen Klopp's side in Germany.

Real did win the return match 2-0 in Madrid, but Dortmund progressed to the final on aggregate.

In fact, the only time they have fought back from three goals down after a first leg came in their last 16 meeting with Derby County in the 1975-76 edition of the European Cup, winning 6-5 on aggregate following a 4-1 defeat at the Baseball Ground.

A deficit of three goals or more has been overturned just four times since the European Cup became the Champions League in 1992.

One team have overturned a four goal-deficit - Barcelona in the game christened 'La Remontada' in 2016-17, when they beat PSG 6-1 at the Nou Camp.

Stats company Opta gives Arsenal an 89.7% chance of progressing to the semi-finals, and Real have lost five games in the competition this season - a tally that equals a club record.

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Former Arsenal defender Matt Upson believes Real Madrid are capable of staging a comeback in their Champions League quarter-final second leg tie against Arsenal, despite an "excellent" first leg performance from Mikel Arteta's side which saw them open up a three-goal lead.

"A Real Madrid comeback has been a lot of the chat around this game, hasn't it?" Upson told BBC Radio 5 Live. "At the end of the first leg last week, those were the comments that were coming out straightaway.

"Real Madrid aren't out of this. Even Jude Bellingham was alluding to the fact that the expectation is still on the Real Madrid players in his press conference - and that is because that is the belief this club has.

"Real Madrid have those sorts of players that can turn things around and it will be something that Arsenal will have to cope with.

"I thought Arsenal were excellent in the first leg. They controlled a lot of the game, they had plenty of possession and they limited Real Madrid to a few chances.

"Now whether they can turn up this evening at the Bernabeu and actually bring that same aura, I think that will be the challenge.

"It's about having a plan in your mind, doing the simple things well, maintaining that focus and keeping calm."

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Arsenal's players "want to create our own history" when they face Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final, says goalkeeper David Raya.

The Gunners' impressive display in the first leg means they take a 3-0 lead to the Bernabeu on Wednesday.

Much of the talk from defending champions Real Madrid in the build-up has been about their belief that they can stage a historic comeback to turn the tie around.

However, Raya has insisted the mindset in the Arsenal camp is about their own history as they look to reach the semi-finals of the competition for just the third time.

"We have the momentum, I think. The way we played, the way we faced them in the first leg was incredible from everyone," he said.

"We want to create our own history. Coming here to win the game, that is the most important thing.

"That [noise] is something we can't control. We cant think about that.

"We just have to think about ourselves and what we can control on the pitch - the ball, playing the same way as we did in the first game, creating chances and scoring goals.

"We know we have a lead but we come here to win the game."

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Arsenal have touched down in Madrid for their Champions League quarter-final second leg needing to protect their three-goal lead to seal a spot in the semi-finals against Paris St-Germain.

Mikel Arteta's side are now the only English team left in the competition, after Aston Villa were knocked out by PSG on Tuesday, so all eyes will be on this mouth-watering encounter at the Bernabeu.

If you are one of the lucky 3,875 travelling fans, we want to hear from you about how you're building up to the huge game.

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Atletico Madrid are interested in re-signing Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey this summer. (Marca - in Spanish), external

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has told the club's board that he wants to keep their best players this summer, including 25-year-old Sweden striker Alexander Isak, who has been linked with Arsenal. (Teamtalk), external

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