Declan Rice has said Arsenal are intent on winning the Champions League after a “special night” against Real Madrid.
Rice produced a masterful midfield performance to help Mikel Arteta’s side conquer the Bernabeu and win both halves of the tie to dump out the defending champions.
Arsenal booked their spot in a semi-final meeting with Paris Saint-Germain thanks to goals from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, which added to the 3-0 advantage secured at home last week.
A coming-of-age performance for many of Arteta’s squad had Rice again at its heart, with the England midfielder once more named player of the match having scored two superb free-kicks in the first leg.
And Rice revelled in a famous victory that he believes is only the beginning for his side.
“It is just such a special night for this club, a historic night for this club,” Rice told TNT Sports. “We want to win this competition.
“There was a lot of talk coming here about them coming back because they’ve done it so many times before, but we had so much belief and confidence that we had enough to come here and win the game. We knew we were going to suffer, and we knew we were going to win. What a night for the club.
“It’s massive. I sensed it before I signed for the club that we were on an upwards trajectory. It’s been tough in the Premier League, this year it has slipped away from us. This club is going to do special things in the next few years. Semi-finals is massive for us. We want to take it one step at a time. I’m lost for words. It’s very special.”
Fears of a familiar Real Madrid remontada might have been raised when Saka failed to convert from the penalty spot early on after Mikel Merino had been hauled down.
The hosts were soon awarded a penalty themselves when Rice tangled with Kylian Mbappe, only for the video assistant referee (VAR) to intervene and instruct. the referee to overturn the decision.
“I knew it wasn’t a penalty,” Rice stressed afterwards. “I had my arm on him [Kylian Mbappe], but I knew it wasn’t a pen. I am an honest guy.
“He fell to the floor and I was fully confident it would get overturned. In the end we got the job done and it is a historic night for the club.”
