Not just Rice: Arsenal's 8/10 star showed why he'd walk into Madrid's XI
da aposte e ganhe： Arsenal booked their place in the Champions League semi-final last night with a sensational 2-1 win over defending champions Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu.
da dobrowin： The victory secured a 5-1 aggregate win, putting a stop to the Spanish outfit’s chances of making it back-to-back European triumphs after their win at Wembley against Borussia Dortmund last season.
Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli’s second-half strikes were enough for Mikel Arteta’s men to advance to the next stage of the competition, subsequently setting up a tie with French giants PSG.
It was a superb showing from the Gunners in Madrid, restricting Carlo Ancelotti’s side to limited opportunities and preventing his star-studded side from making yet another miraculous comeback.
Numerous players starred during the victory, playing a pivotal role in their chances of landing their first-ever European trophy in the coming months.
Arsenal’s star performers against Real Madrid
Mikel Merino once again started as Arsenal’s main centre-forward, not looking out of place and producing yet another impressive showing at the top end of the pitch.
The Spaniard registered two assists in the win and completed four passes into the final third, providing numerous opportunities for other attackers, as seen by his assist tally.
Declan Rice picked up where he left off from the first leg, completing 96% of the passes he attempted, three of which were into the final third, starring with the ball at his feet.
Out of possession, the 26-year-old was just as impressive, winning 100% of the tackles he entered, whilst making four interceptions, restricting the likes of Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior for large spells.
Despite the showings of the aforementioned duo, one other player hugely impressed at the Bernabeu – easily walking into Madrid’s side after such a showing.
The 8/10 Arsenal star who showed he would walk into Madrid’s team
For many years, Madrid have been the golden boys of European football, as seen by their tally of 15 titles – the most of any side in the competition’s history.
Six of their victories have come since 2010, but Arteta’s side produced an incredible showing over two legs to stop their chances of extending their record as the most successful side in history.
Given the stature of the club, only the best talents in the world could be able to cement their place in the squad, but Gunners full-back Jurrien Timber certainly wouldn’t look out of place within their side.
The Dutchman produced a sensational showing against the Spanish outfit last night, arguably his best since returning to action after missing the majority of his debut season through injury.
Timber featured for 89 minutes of the clash, limiting Vini Jr to minimal chances throughout the contest, making four recoveries to stop their Brazilian.
Jurrien Timber’s stats for Arsenal against Real Madrid
Statistics
Tally
Minutes played
89
Touches
42
Passes completed
10
Passes into final third
5
Ground duels won
3
Times dispossessed
1
Tackles made
2
Stats via SofaScore
He also made five passes into the final third, with such a tally being 50% of all the passes he completed during the game, offering Arteta’s side a quick transition on the counterattack.
His impressive showing didn’t stop there, winning three ground duels, only being dispossessed once in what was a superb all-round performance from the 23-year-old – leading to one content creator labelling him as “phenomenal”.
To top off his excellent showing, he was handed an 8/10 match rating by the Evening Standard’s Simon Collings – further highlighting how much of a key role he played at the Bernabeu.
Given Madrid’s issues in the right-back role, there’s no denying the Dutchman would be able to star in their side, with the Gunners having a huge talent on their hands.
If they are to go all the way and win the competition this season, Timber will undoubtedly play a key role, potentially providing the difference in the next couple of rounds.
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