Madrid, April 17: English club Arsenal have advanced to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals for the first time in 16 years after a stunning victory over defending champions Real Madrid.
In the second leg of the quarter-final held on Wednesday night at the iconic Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Arsenal defeated Madrid 2-1, securing a dominant 5-1 aggregate win.
Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli scored a goal each for Arsenal, while Vinícius Júnior netted the lone goal for Real Madrid. Saka opened the scoring in the 65th minute, giving the Gunners a crucial lead. Earlier, in the 13th minute of the first half, Saka had missed a penalty opportunity.
Real Madrid responded swiftly as Vinícius equalized just two minutes later in the 67th minute. However, in the third minute of stoppage time, Martinelli scored a dramatic late winner to seal Arsenal’s 2-1 victory on the night and a convincing 5-1 win on aggregate. In the first leg, Arsenal had already established their dominance with a 3-0 victory.
In another quarter-final clash on the same night, Inter Milan secured their spot in the semi-finals after a thrilling 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich, progressing 4-3 on aggregate.
The semi-finals are now set: Arsenal will face Paris Saint-Germain, while Barcelona take on Inter Milan. Both matches are scheduled for April 29, with the grand final to be held on May 31 at the Allianz Arena.
