Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta looked as surprised as almost every fan at the stadium last night.
It was a memorable night at Emirates Stadium as Arsenal beat Real Madrid 3-0 to take charge of this Champions League quarterfinal.
Despite so many injuries and a slightly lower Perma Premier League campaign, Arsenal secured a historic victory yesterday evening and Rice was on the far better side as he undoubtedly stole the show.
England International never won a free kick before last night, but has since produced two absolute worlds quickly and in a row.
As you can see in the video clip below, even Arteta could hardly believe what he was seeing!
Rice’s free kick was an outstanding strike worthy of winning any game.
Mikel Arteta will know that Arsenal is not yet at work
Even if Arteta is pleased with the overall quality of Rice’s goal last night and his team’s performance, there is no way within Arsenal to have premature celebrations.
Real Madrid will become another beast at the Bernabeu next week, and have seen a rather epic comeback in the Champions League in recent years.
PSG is famous for beating Barcelona 4-0 after losing 6-1 in the famous second leg in 2017. Liverpool returned from a 3-0 first-game loss, beating Barca 4-0 at Anfield in the 2019 semi-finals.
Arsenal is definitely in a strong position, but there’s plenty of time left for this tie to lift his head, so next week we’ll need another strong performance.
But for now, it is right for everyone at the club to enjoy the quality of this memorable victory and rice two goals.