Cesc Fabregas stated he was “speechless” at Declan Rice, who scored what Jon Champion referred to as “two of the finest free-kicks you are ever likely to see” for Arsenal against Real Madrid.
The Gunners went into their Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid as second favourites. Their opponents are a juggernaut of European football, whereas Arsenal haven’t been in the upper echelons in the elite competition for years.
But the north London outfit wiped the floor with Real, bagging three second-half goals to win the first leg 3-0.
Two of those goals were scored 13 minutes apart by midfield man Rice, both from direct free-kicks. He’d gone over 300 professional games without a direct free-kick goal prior to this game, but hammered two phenomenal ones past Thibaut Courtois.
On commentary, Jon Champion referred to the goals as: “Two of the finest free-kicks you are ever likely to see.”
Former Arsenal man Fabregas was stunned by Rice’s goals: “Speechless really, when you haven’t scored one free-kick in your career and you score two in 13 minutes. It takes personality to take the ball again for the second one, to say here I am again.”
Wayne Rooney felt there was no doubt Rice was going to be stood over the second after whipping his first goal round the wall: “Technically he’s fantastic. He got that first free-kick, as soon as that whistle went for the second, there was only one man taking it.”
Rice echoed Fabregas’ the sentiment of being speechless in his post-match interview, and the fact that he was always going to be taking the second when it cropped up in a dangerous area.
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“I just had the confidence after the first one. I don’t think it’s hit me what I’ve done tonight,” Rice said.
Arsenal still have another leg before they reach the semi-final, and Rice suggested the Gunners want to take that step before looking forwards, but their goal is to win the entire competition.
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