Arsenal took a commanding lead in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie with a dominant 3–0 victory over Real Madrid at home on Tuesday night.
After a goalless first half, the Gunners found their rhythm in the second half, scoring all three goals within a 17-minute period.
Declan Rice opened the scoring in the 58th minute after a wonderfully bent free kick, sparking celebrations among the home supporters. He doubled Arsenal’s advantage just 12 minutes later, striking another free kick in the 70th minute to make it 2–0.
Mikel Merino added the third goal in the 75th minute, converting a pass from M. Lewis-Skelly to cap off an impressive display from the North London side.
Real Madrid’s night went from bad to worse as midfielder Eduardo Camavinga received a second yellow card in stoppage time and was sent off.
He had earlier been booked in the 69th minute for a challenge, and his dismissal in the 90+4th minute compounded the visitors’ misery.
Thomas Partey also picked up a yellow card for Arsenal in the 54th minute, shortly before the breakthrough goal.
The emphatic result puts Arsenal in a strong position ahead of the second leg as they aim to secure a place in the semi-finals.
Similarly, Inter Milan edged Bayern Munich 2–1 in a tightly contested UEFA Champions League quarter-final first-leg clash on Tuesday night, claiming a valuable away win in Germany.
The visitors took the lead in the 38th minute through Lautaro Martínez, who finished off a well-placed assist from Marcus Thuram. The Italian side held on to the advantage going into halftime.
Bayern Munich fought back and found an equaliser late in the game when veteran forward Thomas Müller scored in the 85th minute after being set up by Konrad Laimer, sending the home crowd into celebration.
Inter responded almost immediately. Just three minutes later, Davide Frattesi restored the visitors’ lead in the 88th minute, finishing from a Carlos Augusto assist to silence the Allianz Arena.
Frattesi, who was later booked in the 90th minute, proved to be the match-winner in a dramatic finish.
Nicola Zalewski also received a yellow card for Inter in the closing moments, as did Lautaro Martínez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan earlier in the second half. Bayern’s Kim Min-jae was booked in the 29th minute.
The result puts Inter in a strong position heading into the return leg, while Bayern face an uphill task if they are to progress to the semi-finals.
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