Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice achieved an unprecedented Champions League feat with his pair of free kicks in the Gunners' astonishing 3-0 win over Real Madrid in the first leg of their quarter-final.
The former West Ham United captain had already established a reputation as a deadly set-piece taker, albeit mostly from the corner flag and when whipping free kicks into the box for his teammates to attack.
Rice had never scored from a direct free kick in any of his senior career appearances before the visit of Los Blancos, whom he had a decent chance to open the scoring against in the first half but saw his header palmed away by Thibaut Courtois.
However, Mikel Arteta's attack-minded men did not let up at the start of the second half, where the ever-dangerous Bukayo Saka ran David Alaba ragged and won a free kick 25.9m from goal.
Rather than dink a cross to the back stick - as was suggested to him by set-piece coach Nicolas Jover - Rice whipped an astounding effort around the wall and into the back of the net.
Rice becomes first player to score two free kicks in UCL knockout game
DECLAN RICE WITH A MOMENT OF MAGIC 🪄
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) April 8, 2025
An excellent free kick from the Arsenal midfielder see's the host go in front#UCLonPrime pic.twitter.com/Vopmz8aCUZ
Not long after, the England international lined up another set-piece a good 30 yards from goal on the other side of the pitch, and he magnificently repeated his trick with a venomous strike right into the top corner.
In doing so, Rice became the first player to ever score two free kicks in one Champions League knockout game, and just the fifth man to do so in any stage of the competition.
The £105m man is in extremely elite company in the latter category, as only Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Rivaldo and Hakim Ziyech had previously scored more than one free kick in a single Champions League match.
Following Rice's ridiculous set-piece goals, Arsenal made the victory even more emphatic through emergency number nine Mikel Merino, who clinically found the bottom corner from Myles Lewis-Skelly's assist.
Merino's effort was one of 11 shots on target that Arsenal managed on Tuesday, the joint-most in a single Champions League knockout game against Real Madrid alongside Liverpool's 11 from 2009.
Rice: 'Free kicks will hit me in a few years'
© Imago
Speaking to Amazon Prime at full time, Rice understandably admitted that his feats still had not hit him, saying: "It's been in the locker, but I've hit the wall too many times or it's gone over the bar.
"Originally we were going to cross it and then I've just seen the wall and the goalkeeper's position. So I thought just go for it. And Bukayo [Saka] said to just feel it. The second one I had the confidence. I hit it.
"It's not going to hit me now because there's another leg to go. I'm excited, I'm happy, I'm over the moon. But in a few years time this will really hit me that what I've done tonight was really special."
Once the euphoria from Tuesday's win has worn off, Arsenal host Brentford in a Premier League London derby on Saturday, before attempting to avoid a Real Madrid remontada at the Bernabeu on April 16.
Ben Knapton
