Cesc Fabregas expressed that he was “speechless” about Declan Rice, who netted what Jon Champion called “two of the best free-kicks you are ever likely to witness” for Arsenal versus Real Madrid.
The Gunners entered their Champions League quarter-final matchup against Real Madrid as the underdogs. Their rivals are a powerhouse of European football, while Arsenal has not been among the top tier in the prestigious competition for many years.
However, the north London team dominated Real, scoring three goals in the second half to secure a 3-0 victory in the first leg.
Midfielder Rice netted two of those goals within 13 minutes, both from direct free-kicks. Before this match, he had played over 300 professional games without scoring a direct free-kick goal, but he smashed two incredible ones past Thibaut Courtois.
In commentary, Jon Champion described the goals as: “Two of the best free-kicks you will ever witness.”
Ex-Arsenal player Fabregas was amazed by Rice’s goals: “Honestly speechless, especially when you haven't netted a single free-kick in your career and manage to score two in just 13 minutes." It requires character to step up for the second try, to assert, "I'm back again."
Wayne Rooney believed there was no question Rice would score again after bending his first goal around the wall: “Technically he's brilliant." As soon as the whistle blew for the second, he was the only one to take that first free-kick.
Rice reflected Fabregas' feeling of being at a loss for words in his post-match interview, emphasizing that he was always prepared to take the opportunity when it arose in a threatening position.
“I gained confidence right after the first one.” "I don’t believe I’ve fully processed what I did tonight," Rice stated.
Arsenal has one more match before reaching the semi-finals, and Rice indicated that the Gunners aim to advance before considering the next phase, but their objective is to secure victory in the whole tournament.