Arsenal star Declan Rice stole the headlines as he scored a brace to help his side earn a huge victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final first leg.
The midfielder was a key contributor for the side in his all-around play, but it was his goals that he will be remembered for.
The first goal was an outrageous free-kick from over 20 yards out, curling an effort around the Real Madrid wall and into the back of the net to give Arsenal the lead.
While it was Declan Rice’s first goal from a direct free-kick in his career, he very quickly made sure it was two.
A similar strike from range managed to bend around Thibaut Courtois to send the Emirates Stadium into celebratory scenes.
With Arsenal beating Real Madrid, there is a huge second leg coming up that will put them to the test, but the reaction of the Los Blancos stars will be key.
- READ MORE: Forget Declan Rice, two Arsenal stars were an even bigger impact in Real Madrid thrashing
How Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham reacted to Declan Rice’s free kick in Arsenal vs Real Madrid
Declan Rice was compared to David Beckham by Arsenal fans after his two outrageous free-kicks, showing exactly what he is capable of.
The midfielder stunned many, not least the Real Madrid stars who know a thing or two about pulling out a piece of magic.
Over the two free-kicks, the camera panned onto Kylian Mbappe, who is yet to score from a direct free-kick, to see what he thought of it.
The Frenchman seemed impressed, almost accepting the fantastic strike that Declan Rice put into the back of the net.
Jude Bellingham reacted in a similar way, looking shellshocked and gobsmacked by the impact of his England teammate.
It says it all when two stars, who are capable of such brilliant moments on the pitch, seem left in awe by Rice.
Declan Rice was going to cross free-kick instead for Arsenal
With Rice scoring the free-kicks, many were wondering the exact thought process of the Arsenal star taking the chance on.
He did reveal, rather surprisingly, that the original place was for him to cross the ball into the box instead.
The midfielder seemed confused by the plan though, stating on Amazon Prime Video: “It didn’t make sense from that angle to cross the ball, because they had a high line and to chip that, it had to be such a delicate pass and I just saw where the wall was and I just went for it.”
Arsenal were fortunate that he did decide to make that magic work in his favour, bringing out that individual ability when it was needed the most.
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