Soccer

ARSENAL’S heroes dumped the Kings of Europe out of the Champions League in dramatic fashion.The Declan Rice-inspired Gunners led 3-0 after the first leg at the Emirates.Arsenal dumped Real Madrid out of the Champions LeagueCredit: EPABukayo Saka dinked his beautiful finish over Thibaut CourtoisCredit: ReutersAnd Mikel Arteta knew if they could avoid a thumping defeat in a raucous Bernabeu, they would book a semi-final date with PSG.Two huge VAR penalty decisions went Arsenal’s way in the first half.The first saw Raul Asencio penalised for dragging Mikel Merino down off the ball at a corner – but Bukayo Saka dinked his spot kick and it was easily saved by Thibaut Courtois.At the other end, Declan Rice tugged down Kylian Mbappe – but it was overturned after a five-minute VAR check.READ MORE ON ARSENALSaka made amends by chipping over Courtois to round off a superb Arsenal move and make it 4-0 on aggregate on 65 minutes.Two minutes later, Vinicius Junior pounced on a dawdling William Saliba to fire into an empty net and give Real a glimmer of hope.But not only did Arsenal hold on, Gabriel Martinelli scored on the counter-attack in injury time to round off a famous 5-1 aggregate win over the reigning champions.Here’s how SunSport’s Jordan Davies rated Arteta’s men from inside the Bernabeu…Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSDAVID RAYA – 7/10It is very rare that a keeper comes to the Bernabeu and his gloves are barely tested, but David Raya had that luxury in the first half with an incredible defensive unit ahead of him.Maybe that is why he felt he needed to get involved in the game by picking up a needless 36th-minute yellow card for time-wasting.Mikel Arteta slide tackles his own player in training a day before Arsenal’s biggest game of the season vs Real Madrid And in the 67th minute, he put Saliba in a world of pain with a pass the Frenchman did not want that led to Vinicius Jr nipping in and tapping into an empty net.MYLES LEWIS-SKELLY – 8It is understandable that at 18 years old, his emotions have got the better of him at times in his breakthrough season for Arsenal, whether that be red cards or riling up opposition players and fans.The opening 45 minutes showed how mature he can be when the situation demands it. He was cool, calm and collected and often non-nonsense in his approach, chucking in a few trademark mazy runs from deep as well.Myles Lewis-Skelly put in another excellent displayCredit: GettyWILLIAM SALIBA – 8Just how important is this man to Arsenal and their chances of winning the Champions League? The answer: very.Block after block, header after header, a performance beyond his years and proof that he is currently one of the best centre-backs on the planet.Arsenal fans will just be hoping that suitors Madrid do not come calling this summer after showcasing such a dominant display on their home patch.This was all written before he got robbed of the ball blind by Vinicius Jr. The pass was unforgiving but he should have known the Brazilian was lurking.A blip in an otherwise flawless evening.JAKUB KIWIOR – 8He has his doubters, but surely not after this one. To be thrown in cold to replace the man-mountain that is Gabriel to face the reigning European champions is as daunting as it gets, and many feared the worst.Fear not. The Pole has been pretty much faultless over the past few games, and importantly in both legs of this titanic clash.He has been linked with a move away this summer after failing to disrupt the partnership of Saliba and Gabriel. Perhaps Arteta will be thinking twice.Jakub Kiwior and William Saliba helped keep the Real Madrid attack largely quietCredit: GettyJURRIEN TIMBER – 8For such a reliable figure in this Arsenal backline, it was a nervy start, losing the ball high up to Kylian Mbappe, who then chested in for a goal after two minutes only for the offside flag to come to the rescue.Yet after that, the Dutchman went about his business with little fuss but a lot of quality and determination. Is this a sign that Ben White will struggle to get back into the team from now on?DECLAN RICE – 9There were no thrills or spills or top-bin worldies, but Rice was arguably even better than he was in the first leg.The engine on this man is second to none, covering every patch of supreme grass at the Bernabeu and giving Jude Bellingham a midfield masterclass on the biggest of stages in both attack and defence.A captain and leader in everything but the armband, this was a night where Rice emerged not just as a good player, but a world-class player.Declan Rice put in another superb performance in midfieldCredit: EPATHOMAS PARTEY – 8A quiet night for the towering Ghanaian with some nice little touches and interceptions, knowing he would not be in the spotlight next to the main man Rice.Instead, he did the dirty work and the boring stuff incredibly well. Gone are those inconsistent, injury-ravaged days it seems.With his contract up in the summer, is that pen getting closer to the dotted line?But needlessly got himself suspended from first leg of the PSG semi-final by getting involved in a row with Antonio Rudiger and seeing yellow, much to Rice’s annoyance. Thomas Partey picked up a needless yellow cardCredit: GettyMARTIN ODEGAARD – 6Back at his old stomping ground, he would have wanted to prove a point. However, on the ball he was sloppy, struggling to find any rhythm – or any team-mates for that matter.But when all else fails, Odegaard defaults to his factory settings of running hard, pressing like a crazed lunatic and setting a fine example for the rest of the group.If this is him not at his best, just imagine what will happen when he switches into gear.Martin Odegaard struggled to find his best form against his former clubCredit: EPABUKAYO SAKA – 8An eventful night to say the least. Madrid clearly had a game plan of knocking ten lumps out of the England winger every time he got the ball, wiped out by David Alaba early doors.He responded emphatically with two shots cutting inside, but then came THE penalty.Had he been practising them in training? Was it a spur-of-the-moment thing? One thing is for sure: he will think twice before trying a Panenka again in such a big game.But when one dink doesn’t work, you try again, rewarded with a goal after a cute finish over Thibaut Courtois. The guts on this guy – in the spitting cauldron of the Bernabeu – is remarkable.GABRIEL MARTINELLI – 8One decent effort from a tight angle, lots of running up and down on the right to help protect Timber, but not a lot else… that was until he capped off the night with an epic run and finish in the dying moments.But there does remain a question mark over whether the Brazilian has what it takes to light up big nights against Europe’s best like his pal Saka consistently does with a swagger and smile.Gabriel Martinelli finished in injury time to round off the special evening for the GunnersCredit: GettyMIKEL MERINO – 8Kept Rudiger busy and occupied, winning several aerial duels and helping his side up the pitch after soaking up pressure.Merino did not have Courtois worried throughout the entire 90 minutes, but stepped up with a vital assist for Saka, and then another for Martinelli, both of those passes timed to perfection.Is there any point in going back into midfield now? When you do it over two legs against the world’s best – including scoring in the first leg – with barely a scratch on you, surely that’s his test passed?Read More on The SunSUBSLEANDRO TROSSARD (SAKA, 77) – 6Hard to come on for Saka and try and replicate what he does, but stretched Madrid when they were getting desperate. Such a useful man to be able to bring on.KIERAN TIERNEY (MARTINELLI, 90) – N/ABEN WHITE (TIMBER, 90) – N/AOLEKSANDR ZINCHENKO (RICE, 90) – N/AVinicius Junior gave Real Madrid a glimmer of hopeCredit: AFP More

THOMAS PARTEY is OUT of the Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain.The Arsenal star picked up a needless yellow card during the quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid.Thomas Partey was booked against Real Madrid and will miss the semi-finalsCredit: ReutersDeclan Rice was fuming with Partey for getting the bookingCredit: AFPPartey, 31, was cautioned for his role in a clash with defender Antonio Rudiger.The midfielder was berated for his stupidity by team-mate Declan Rice.The former West Ham captain was visibly angry with the Ghanaian as he could be seen lambasting him for his error.Fans also let their feelings be known on social media.READ MORE ON FOOTBALLOne posted: “The biggest bozo I’ve ever seen omg.”A second commented: “Thought Declan was gonna start swinging to Partey there!! Stupid, stupid yellow.”Arsenal started the second leg against Real Madrid in a comfortable position thanks ot their 3-0 win at the Emirates last week.Mikel Arteta’s side were cannoned into control thanks to two spectacular free-kicks from Rice.Most read in FootballJOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUSMikel Merino added a third to put the North London outfit into a dominant position.Arsenal could have put the tie to bed inside just 10 minutes but Bukayo Saka fluffed his lines as he saw a penalty saved by Thibaut Courtois.Crocked Real Madrid star Dani Carvajal pulled away from Bukayo Saka after confronting Arsenal star at half-timeBut the winger would make his mark in the Spanish capital as he netted in the second half with a lobbed finish.The lead would only last a number of minutes as Vinicius Jnr equalised on the night before Gabriel Martinelli wrapped up the tie in added time.There was plenty of other drama in the match as Bukayo Saka missed a penalty in the first half.Real Madrid also saw a spot-kick of their own overturned by VAR before the break.Saka was also involved in a heated confrontation with Dani Carvajal as he made his way down the tunnel at half-time.Rice was also involved in his own heated moment as he clashed with Jude Bellingham in the second half.Arsenal ratings v Real MadridARSENAL’S heroes dumped the Kings of Europe out of the Champions League in dramatic fashion. More

NO sweat, no tears and not a hint of fear. Here were Arsenal – streetwise, steely, sometimes cynical Arsenal – dethroning the 15-time kings of Europe, busting a few myths and breezing their way into a first Champions League semi-final in 16 years. Arsenal beat Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregateCredit: EPAGabriel Martinelli scored the winner to make it 2-1 at the BernabeuCredit: GettyBukayo Saka missed a penalty early in the match but scored a crucial goal in the second halfCredit: GettyHere was a very different performance to last week’s first-leg pummelling of Real Madrid but it was every bit as impressive.  Declan Rice, whose twin free-kicks ignited this quarter-final at the Emirates, was dominant in midfield, Bukayo Saka netted an impudent goal after botching an early penalty. And perhaps just as impressively, there was 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly breaking up play with some wonderful play-acting to the shrill screens of 80,000 Madristas – giving Real a taste of their own age-old medicine.  It is one of the greatest lies in football that Mikel Arteta’s team are a bunch of soft lads and bottle jobs. READ MORE IN FOOTBALLThey have been pipped for the title by Manchester City in the previous two seasons, and this term they have collected too many red cards and injuries to bother Liverpool. But the idea that they lack what the Spanish refer to as ‘cojones’ has never been true and should be shot down completely after this clear-headed hit job inside European football’s most perilous venue. Over two legs, this was the most significant result of Arteta’s five-year reign. Against a side which boasted four of the most famous attacking players on the planet, Arsenal won with a defensive midfielder, Mikel Merino, as their centre-forward. Most read in Champions LeagueCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSAnd it wasn’t even close. If anything, Arsenal were guilty of over-confidence here, when Saka failed with a ‘Panenka’ spot-kick which could have killed the tie stone-dead after 12 minutes of this return match. Crocked Real Madrid star Dani Carvajal pulled away from Bukayo Saka after confronting Arsenal star at half-timeVinicius Junior swiftly equalised Saka’s goal midway through the second half but at no point were Arsenal in danger of throwing away their aggregate lead. And Gabriel Martinelli applied the coup de grace with a cool finish from an Arsenal break in injury-time.They will now face a Paris St Germain side they have already beaten 2-0 this season. and who took a serious pounding at Villa Park on Tuesday night, believing they can reach only the second European Cup Final in their history. The pre-match build-up in Madrid had all been about ‘La Remontada’ – the ‘comeback’ – and the slightly overblown idea that Real are experts in escapology. They haven’t actually staged too many epic comebacks in the past because they haven’t often needed to. They just tend to be very good – especially in this competition.Before kick off Real had sent out social media posts in 20 different languages, insisting that ‘90 minutes in the Bernabeu is a long time’. It’s all part of the mythology they like the build around their team, to scare the bejesus out of opponents. Arteta knew as much and took a more realistic approach. If you forgot the history, here were two pretty well-matched teams and Arsenal had a three-goal head start. From the off, Arsenal didn’t look in any way intimidated – Rice barged over Bellingham in the centre circle, while Saka was tormenting David Alaba – who was booked early on for mowing him down.Vinicius Jr capitalised on an error from William Saliba to make the score 1-1Credit: GettySaka then whistled one effort across goal and had another pawed away by Courtois before his first big moment came – and went. From a Rice corner, Raul Asencio hauled down Merino and VAR intervened before ref Franois Letexier pointed to the spot. Everything pointed to Saka scoring – he’d netted eight in a row since he last missed, against West Ham two years ago to the day and he’s started this match like a train. But the Panenka was an uncharacteristic act of arrogance from Saka and Courtois stuck up a hand to push away his airy effort. Rice was struck by a missile as he took a corner and then it looked worse for the first-leg hero when, after an innocuous tangle with Mbappe as he defended a cross, Letexier pointed to the spot. There was a four-minute delay before the referee agreed with his VAR that Mbappe had pulled a fast one – although the fact Rice had made significant contact with the Frenchman meant it hadn’t looked ‘clear and obvious’ either way. Rice’s booking, which would have seen him banned for the first leg of the semi-final, was also rescinded.The night’s most predictable moment arrived in the 36th minute when keeper David Raya was booked for time-wasting. But Arsenal didn’t too much spoiling and s***housing Despite its Hollywood attacking cast, this is not a vintage Real side. It is too imbalanced, it lacks control in midfield as well as true nastiness at the back.  We reached half-time with Raya still utterly untroubled – and injured Real defender Dani Carvajal grabbed Saka by the back of the neck after an exchange of words with the Arsenal man pushing him away.It was a clear sign that the hosts were rattled.  After the break, Rice was relishing his battle with England team-mate Bellingham, including one excellent saving tackle in the box. Jakub Kiwior, supposedly Arsenal’s weak link, was doing a passable impersonation of Franco Baresi and the Gooners up in the nosebleed seats were getting out the ‘ole, oles’. Soon, Arsenal were ahead on the night, a patient passing move ending with Merino’s through-ball releasing Saka, who lifted it over Courtois with sub-zero levels of cool. Real hit back almost instantly, William Saliba mugged Vinicius as he collected a pass from Raya and leathering into the net with ease. Still, we were halfway through the second half and Real were three goals down. Read More on The SunAnd then Martinelli advanced, slotted past Courtois from an angle, as the Real left in their thousands. “Are you Tottenham in disguise?” asked the travelling fans. They weren’t far wrong.  More