LONDON: Arsenal stormed to a stunning 3-0 win over Champions League holders Real Madrid as Declan Rice’s free-kick masterclass left the Gunners within touching distance of a place in the semifinals. Rice scored two majestic free-kicks in the second half of the quarter-final first leg at the Emirates Stadium. Mikel Merino added Arsenal’s third goal before Real’s Eduardo Camavinga was sent off for kicking the ball away in the closing minutes to leave the Spanish giants in disarray. The brilliance of Rice’s brace cannot be understated, with even Real keeper Thibaut Courtois — usually so inspired on Champions League nights — unable to get anywhere near the England midfielder’s thunderbolts. Incredibly, Rice had never scored a free-kick in his career before the first of his missiles hit the back of the Real net. It was no more than Arsenal deserved for a mature performance that exposed injury-hit Real in ruthless style. Mikel Arteta’s men will travel to the Bernabeu for the second leg on April 16 as firm favorites to advance to a semifinal tie against Paris Saint-Germain or Aston Villa, who meet in their quarter-final first leg on Wednesday. The Gunners have not reached the Champions League semifinals since 2009, but that target is now within their grasp after an evening that will go down as one of the most memorable in the club’s storied history. Arteta had labelled the clash with Real as the “biggest night” of his career as he urged his players to write their own history by winning Arsenal’s first Champions League crown. They rose to the challenge so successfully that even Arteta might have been surprised. Arsenal trail Premier League leaders Liverpool by 11 points and look destined to finish as runners-up for a third
