Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice etched his name into UEFA Champions League history on Tuesday night, becoming the first player ever to score two goals from direct free kicks in a knockout stage match.
The England international led Arsenal to a commanding 3-0 victory over Real Madrid in the first leg of their quarter-final clash at the Emirates Stadium. Rice netted twice from set-pieces, while Mikel Merino added a third to complete the win.
According to football statistics platform OptaJean, Rice’s free-kick double is a first in the competition’s knockout phase history.
Arsenal now hold a strong advantage ahead of the return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu in Spain next week, where Rice will look to lead the Gunners into the semi-finals.
Before then, Mikel Arteta’s men will host Brentford in the Premier League. Arsenal are currently second in the table, trailing leaders Liverpool with fewer than seven games remaining in the season.
