Ranking Arsenal’s 11 biggest European games after knocking out Real Madrid

Arsenal is preparing for its first Champions League semi-finals since 2009 after defending European Champions Real Madrid.

After a late winner from Gabriel Martinelli, Gunner rose 3-0 from the first foot thanks to a double from Declan Rice and a strike from Mikel Merino, winning 2-1, 2-1 at the Bernabéu.

Their reward is a tie with Paris Saint-Germain, with the winner heading to Munich and to Barcelona or Inter.

Last week or so, Arsenal was added to the honorable list of Europe’s memorable nights.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the best European matches in the club’s illustrious history.

11

Roma 1-0 Arsenal (6-7 with penalty)

2008/09 Champions League, 16 seconds round

After securing a 1-0 victory at home, Arsenal went to Studio Olimpico in Rome in 2009, hoping to finish the job without any major issues.

However, the gunners were behind quite early, and Juan leveled the tally scoreline within 10 minutes.

There was no further target for the night, so a shootout was needed, and despite Eduardo’s mistakes for visitors, Manuel Almnia rescued him from Mirko Voussinick and Max Tonett, sending Arsen Wenger’s side to the final eight.

10

Arsenal 2-0 Juventus

2005/06 Champions League, quarterfinal round 1

Arsenal provided one of the best results in the Champions League when they saw Juventus in the first leg of the 2006 quarterfinals.

Supported by eliminating Real Madrid in the previous round, the home side went through Cesc Fabregas.

Thierry Henry doubled the advantages of Arsenal and played against his previous club to cap the magical night at Highbury, and the old lady was tied for a goalless draw in the second game in Turin.

9

Arsenal 3-0 Andrrecht

1969/70 Fairs Cup, final second leg

It feels strange to put a very low final on this list, but 55 years later, Arsenal’s victory over Anderlecht in the Intercity Fair Cup to secure Europe’s first trophy is worth mentioning anyway.

3-1 from the first leg, Ray Kennedy’s comfort in Belgium set a great comeback at Highbury.

Eddie Kelly rolled the ball in north London before two goals from John Radford and John Sammels handed the trophy to the Gunners in two minutes.

Bertie Mee’s team won double the league and cup the following season.

8

Arsenal 1-0 Porto (4-2 in penalty)

2023/24 Champions League, 16 seconds round

Arsenal finished the Champions League for six seasons before his long-awaited return in 2023/24, waiting to go back to 2010.

Thus, history seemed to be repeated when they went 1-0 against Porto in the first leg, with Arsenal’s final seven Champions League campaign ending in the final 16 stages.

Leandro Trossard placed Mikel Arteta’s side ahead for the night, but there was no better goal on a tense night in North London.

Thankfully, the gunners were not at fault from the scene, and a save from David Raya’s first leg hero Galeno caused a wild celebration in the Emirates.

7

Milan 0-2 Arsenal

2007/08 Champions League, 16 seconds round

Arsenal faced the underdogs heading for a collision at San Siro and European champion Milan, but won one of the best results on European roads.

A goalless draw with the Emirates meant that the score draw was enough to pass the gunners without the need for extra time, but if there was, it looked as if 0-0 was in the middle.

Six minutes after the time, CESC Fabregas picked up the ball in the middle of the field and unleashed the shot from 30 yards.

Emmanuel Adebayor scored late to put the icing on the cake.

6

Inter1-5 Arsenal

2003/04 Champions League, group stage

Rather, incredibly, Arsenal’s hero to Milan may not be the greatest in San Siro.

Their victory over Inter was only on the 2003/04 group stage, but perhaps they will outweigh the victory over Rossoneri with the fact that victory is important and the scoreline remains astonishing to this day.

Arsenal got off to a horrifying start to their group campaign, scoring one point from their first three matches and requiring a victory in Milan.

That meant defeating the team that hit 3-0 at Highbury just two months ago.

Luckily, Thierry Henry was red hot and pounded the braces to help crush the collapsed Interside in the second half.

5

Arsenal 1-0 Palma

1993/94 Cup Winner ‘Cup Final

Arsenal’s recent European trophy was secured 31 years ago. That’s when the gunners saw Parma as their favorite in the Cup final, the Cup winners in Copenhagen.

Also, George Graham’s side, with Ian Wright not stopped, took a surprising lead in the first half with Alan Smith’s volley.

Palma stars, including Gianfranco Zola, Fautino Asprira and Thomas Brolin, had plenty of opportunities for either side of Smith’s efforts, but the defense remained determined to bring the trophy home.

4

Villarreal 0-0 Arsenal

2005/06 Champions League, semi-final round 2

Arsenal was 90 minutes away from their first Champions League final after a 1-0 success with Villarreal in Highbury’s final European game.

Villarreal, a surprise package in the Champions League that season, wanted to overturn their deficit to set the All-Spanish event in the Paris finale.

And when Arsenal appeared to be watching it, the host was given a soft penalty in the final moments, and now it’s certainly possible to see the extra time.

However, Jens Lehmann had other ideas and plunged to the left to drive out Juan Roman Riquelme’s spot kick and keep sending gunners.

3

Arsenal 2-1 Barcelona

2010/11 Champions League, 16 rounds

This tie ended with a controversial defeat, but the first war between Arsenal and Barcelona’s final 16 tie in February 2011 can give fans goosebumps.

Pep Guardiola’s favorite Barca took the lead through David Villa’s first half finish.

Robin Van Persy leveled out his absorbent tie after catching Victor Valdes at a post near him. Samir Nasri then found Andrei Arshavin for free in the box and slammed the winner.

2

Arsenal 3-0 Real Madrid

2024/25 Champions League, quarterfinal round 1

Mikel Arteta’s armory became age when he played against the European champions at Emirates Stadium.

Declan Rice’s first blood bending a great free kick around the walls of Madrid, and a close tie exploded in the second half, and a few minutes later he repeated the trick with a better strike.

Makeshift striker Mikel Merino then rounded out the super move to give Arsenal a great chance to defeat their fantasy foes and make the semi-finals for the first time in 16 years.

1

Real Madrid 0-1 Arsenal

2005/06 Champions League, 16th round

It’s hard enough to win the Bernabeu, but in an apathetic form, it’s hard to say that Arsenal would do so without some key players, and in an apathetic form, the 2006 victory at Real Madrid is not the most impressive achievement ever.

Arsenal fired from Madrid’s block, bringing the game to his opponents, eventually earning a reward moment in the second half.

The second leg where Arsenal restrained the Los Blancos in a Goreless draw was just as heroic, but there was no greater feat than a 1-0 success against the Galacticos after becoming the first English team to win a real home ground on the less-intensive side.