Arsenal beats Real Madrid at Bernabeu to clinch first CL semis in 16 years

Bukayo Saka scored one and missed a penalty as Arsenal booked their place in the Champions League semi-finals with a 2-1 win over Real Madrid on the night and a 5-1 aggregate triumph.

Coming into the second leg at the Bernabeu with a commanding 3-0 lead from the first leg, Arsenal had a chance to tighten their grip early when they were awarded a 13th-minute penalty.

But Saka’s chipped spot-kick lacked conviction and was easily saved by Thibaut Courtois.

The 22-year-old, however, made up for his miss in the second half, scoring with a brilliant chipped finish over Courtois after a clever through-ball from Mikel Merino, virtually ending the contest.

Lightning strikes twice ⚡ pic.twitter.com/JwfWGDGGJm

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— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 16, 2025

Real responded almost immediately, as a mistake from William Saliba allowed Vinicius Junior to pull one back with a simple tap-in, but that was as close as they got.

In stoppage time, Gabriel Martinelli sealed the win with a calm finish on the break, once again assisted by the impressive Merino.

This marks only the third time in Arsenal’s history that they’ve reached the semi-finals of Europe’s elite competition. Paris Saint-Germain await in the next round.