Arsenal hosted Real Madrid in the UCL quarter-finals at the Emirates Stadium. What an amazing performance by the Gunners — winning 3-0!
Before the game, I watched an interview of Thierry Henry, an Arsenal legend, who said the team needed to believe they could beat Real Madrid. And that’s exactly what they did — a performance full of courage and conviction.
Declan Rice completely embodied that spirit. Of course, he’s been working on his free-kicks in training, but to deliver like that on the big stage is something else. Considering he had never scored from a direct free-kick before, the courage to take that shot in the moment says so much about his character.
On top of that, he’s so honest and humble in his interviews — I felt genuinely happy for him. Watching his evolution from a defensive midfielder to a goal-scoring threat has been incredible. Sometimes others can see your potential before you do, but turning that potential into reality takes hard work and belief.
There’s a great lesson in this: when you’ve put in the work, be brave and step up when the opportunity comes. Go for it.
I’ve never seen two better free-kicks scored by the same player in a single game. If you haven’t watched them, go and watch them now.
I just want to thank the whole team for giving us such a memorable night.
Before the game, I had a feeling it was going to be special. Now, looking ahead to next week at the Bernabéu — I think we’ll win again.