Declan Rice Sets Champions League Record Both Messi and Ronaldo Never Touched
- Declan Rice scored two incredible free-kick goals in Arsenal's 3-0 victory over Spanish giants Real Madrid
- The Gunners had to wait until the second half before getting the goals, as Rice grabbed a brace off direct set-pieces
- The Englishman has now written his name in the history books of the prestigious UEFA Champions League
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Declan Rice has etched his name in the history books of the UEFA Champions League following his brace against Real Madrid on Tuesday night.
The defensive midfielder scored two sensational freekicks to set a new record in the knockout stage of the European competition.
It had ended goalless at half-time, but things changed in the second half when the Englishman struck in the 58th minute.
Source: Getty Images
Rice expertly curved a direct freekick beside the wall and inside the net, with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois nowhere near the ball.
Just 12 minutes later, the 26-year-old produced another wonderful finish from another set-piece.
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This time he fired directly into the top corner, sending the entire Emirates Stadium into the wilds.
Both goals came off direct free-kicks and Rice became the first player to score two direct free-kick goals in a knockout stage match in the UEFA Champions League.
Mikel Merino completed the rout when he struck in the 75th minute as Arsenal take a massive 3-0 lead into next week's second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Messi and Ronaldo's freekick stats in Champions League
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo, who is the competition’s all-time leading goalscorer with 140 goals, netted 12 from freekicks, per The Analyst.
The Portuguese international netted two in a single game against FC Zurich in September 2009, but that was achieved in the group stage.
He scored four of his 12 free-kicks in the 89th minute or later and it is a quirk of fate that his first and last direct free-kick goals in the Champions League both came against Sporting CP, the club that gave him his professional breakthrough.
Lionel Messi on the other hand netted 5 freekicks in the Champions League before his move to the United States, Khelnow reports.
Ancelotti reacts to heavy defeat at Emirates
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti disclosed that his side had chances to take the lead, as he admits it would be difficult to come back following the huge loss.
“Today they showed better quality, attitude, working as a block. We have to be quite critical. For an hour we were not bad.
"The result should not make us throw everything away. It’s very difficult to come back, but in the first half we did several things very well. We had chances to take the lead. And the physical work was of a very high level.”
Source: Getty Images
Arsenal fans troll Real Madrid
Legit.ng earlier reported that Arsenal fans are buzzing with excitement after their team's stunning victory over Real Madrid in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.
One X user joked that Real Madrid brought the best players in the world but were still beaten by Arsenal, while another praised Declan Rice for his exceptional performance.
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Source: Legit.ng
