After 338 games in his professional career Declan Rice had never scored a free-kick.
After 339 he’d scored two.
He’d only taken 12 free-kicks across his entire career prior to Tuesday’s sensational 3-0 win for Arsenal over Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final first leg at the Emirates.
With the Gunners on top but level at 0-0, the England midfielder stood up and curled round the Madrid wall and past Thibaut Courtois to put his side deservedly ahead after 58 minutes.
Then 12 minutes later the 26-year-old stepped up and did it again, making him the first player to score two free-kicks in a Champions League knockout match.
The sensational curling strike into the top corner was that good it left Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard and boss Mikel Arteta with their hands on their heads in disbelief.
Former Real Madrid and Brazil left-back Roberto Carlos – himself a master from a set-piece during his career – was seen looking glum-faced in the stands.
“I don’t know whether it will ever sink in,” Rice told Amazon Prime after the game.
“I’ve gone back to my phone then and it’s gone crazy. To score my first free-kick in a game is a special one. And then when I got the second one… I just had the confidence. I’m speechless really.
“I don’t think it’s going to hit me, what I’ve done tonight. It’s a historic night.”
Arsenal are a team that have become renowned for their threat at set-pieces, but direct free-kicks are something different.
Arteta said after the game they hadn’t scored one since September 2021, so to score two in 13 minutes against Real Madrid “showed the beauty of whoever invented this sport”.
Arsenal’s free-kicks are usually taken by Bukayo Saka or Odegaard, but Rice said that he saw the space around the Madrid wall for the first goal and told Saka he was confident.
The England winger responded “if you feel it, go for it” – and he’ll be glad he did.
“It didn’t make sense from that angle to cross the ball [which Arsenal’s set-piece coach Nicolas Jover was signalling to do on the touchline]. It would have to be a delicate pass,” Rice added.
“I’m happy I took it because it was magic.”
It didn’t stop Jover wheeling off in celebration and Rice said afterwards the coach was “claiming it”.
Arteta added: “He can claim it if he wants, it doesn’t matter. It’s incredible.”
The opener was the goal that Arsenal deserved for their dominance, but the best was yet to come.
Alan Shearer said it was “absolutely incredible” and former Real Madrid midfielder Clarence Seedorf said “not even Superman would get it”.
“It looks far out, you don’t even realise. We were going to touch and set it – me and Martin [Odegaard], but Mbappe was kind of stood too close.
“But then I thought, I’ve got the keeper’s side, I practice this so much – I was going to go for it. I had the confidence from the first one. If it went over the bar it wouldn’t matter.
“It’s not going to hit me now because there’s another leg to go. I’m excited, I’m happy, I’m over the moon.
“It’s been in the locker, but I’ve hit the wall too many times or it’s gone over the bar.
“But in a few years time this will really hit me that what I’ve done tonight was really special.”
For Rice this was his biggest moment so far in an Arsenal shirt, but Arteta and midfielder Mikel Merino – who scored the third goal – were not surprised by how the former West Ham man stood up.
“If there’s a player who can do it, how clean he strikes it, it’s Declan,” said Arteta.
“But you have to execute it at the highest level. And against one of the best keeper’s in the world as well. It’s amazing.
“He’s been very determined because we have been talking the last few months. He has done it tonight.”
Merino added: “He has one of the best shooting abilities that I’ve seen in my career. I’m not surprised, maybe you are. Hopefully more will come in the future.”
Former Arsenal defender Matthew Upson told BBC Radio 5 Live it was “a night to remember” for Rice and he had “single-handedly made the difference”.
The 3-0 win puts Arsenal in a dominant position for the return leg at the Bernabeu on 16 April.
There are plenty of good omens too.
Their first-leg win is the 12th time an English side have won by three-plus goals in the first leg of a Champions League knockout stage tie, with each of the 11 previous instances seeing that team progress.
However, Real Madrid are a different beast at the Bernabeu and will only need to look back to 2022 when they overturned a 5-3 aggregate score in the final minutes against Manchester City.
“To beat Real Madrid in this competition – it’s a big night for us,” said Rice.
“But even if we’re 3-0 up, the individual quality they have is scary.
“At the Bernabeu special things happen for them.
“We want to win this competition, but we have to take it one game at a time.”
By BBC News
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