Arsenal came of age as it dethroned Champions League king Real Madrid with ease to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2009.
A commanding 3-0 first-leg victory last week, lit up by two stunning Declan Rice free-kicks, laid the foundations in London.
But a 2-1 win in the cauldron of the Santiago Bernabeu to complete the job on Wednesday was a significant milestone for Mikel Arteta‘s rising stars.
Arteta’s only major trophy in five and a half years in charge remains the 2020 FA Cup, just months into his reign.
But the Spaniard has transformed a sleeping giant back into serial contenders for major honors.
“I sensed before I signed for the club that we were on an upwards trajectory,” said Rice, who rejected the advances of Manchester City to join Arsenal for a club-record £105 million ($139 million) in 2023. “This club is going to do special things in the coming years. We all fully believe in it, we have full trust in this manager — he’s unbelievable.”
Despite never winning the competition, Arsenal was part of the Champions League furniture during Arsene Wenger‘s reign — between 2000 and 2017 the Gunners were ever-present in Europe’s elite competition.
But when that run came to an end, they spent six seasons without Champions League football.
Slowly, Arteta rebuilt Arsenal back into a force around a core of promising talent now coming into their prime.
Not for the first time in his young career, Bukayo Saka did not let a missed penalty on the big stage affect him.
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