Declan Rice’s free-kick double against Real Madrid in the first leg of Arsenal’s Champions League quarter-final made history in more ways than one.
Mikel Arteta said the first of Rice’s curling efforts ended a four-year wait for a direct free-kick, with the last scored by Martin Odegaard against Burnley in September 2021.
However, despite it not quite matching the beauty of Rice’s, Arsenal technically scored from a direct free-kick earlier this season when Bukayo Saka’s beat Gianluigi Donnarumma in the group phase as the Gunners overcame Paris Saint-Germain 2-0, but there’s little doubt that was an intended cross.
So perhaps Arsenal and Mikel Arteta didn’t have to wait four years but Rice had to wait double that, having made 338 senior appearances without scoring from a free-kick. But just like London buses, you wait eight years, and two come along at once with 12 minutes separating Rice’s stunners.
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Best of Sky Sports News’ Paul Merson reacting to Arsenal’s 3-0 Champions League victory over Real Madrid, which he described as the ‘greatest night at the Emirates.’
While very few had predicted Rice would score after stepping up for the first, let alone the second, it’s not been without the want of trying.
Rice had 12 attempts from free-kicks without scoring before Tuesday night, with nine of those coming in the Premier League. Domestically, Andreas Pereira leads the way in the top flight for the number of direct free-kicks taken without scoring (28).
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Sky Sports News’ Nick Wright and Ron Walker discuss Declan Rice’s heroics in Arsenal’s stunning 3-0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final first leg and question whether the Gunners could go all the way
To bring things back into perspective, scoring free-kicks is not easy – just ask Kylian Mbappe, who was forced to watch Rice’s deadball masterclass at the Emirates. Mbappe has yet to score from an identical scenario despite 17 attempts to do so.
The France international, however, did score as a result of a free-kick when he played a one-two with Fran Garcia before curling beyond the wall against Leganes in LaLiga last month.
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Mikel Arteta says the double free-kicks from Declan Rice were ‘magic moments’ that summed up the 3-0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League
When it comes to two direct free-kicks scored in a single game, Rice is in esteemed company with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Neymar among those who have done the same in Europe’s elite competition.
However, Rice stands alone as the only player to achieve the feat in the knockout stages. Rice also became the only Arsenal player in history to score from a direct free-kick beyond the group stages.
