Real Madrid were no match for Arsenal over two legs, as Mikel Arteta’s side ran riot with a 5-1 aggregate win.
The Champions League semi-finals are set, with Arsenal to take on Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona to meet Inter Milan.
Arsenal beat Real Madrid over two legs to knock the reigning champions out of the tournament heroically, despite Arteta having a limited squad available to him.
Several key players joined Arsenal’s terrible injury list this season, with Gabriel Magalhaes the latest to have his campaign ended prematurely.
William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes approve of Jakub Kiwior vs Real Madrid
Gabriel has undergone surgery to mend a hamstring injury that could keep him out of action until the 2025/26 season commences.
The Brazilian’s blow came at the worst time before the quarter-final tie against Real Madrid started, with Arsenal fans concerned about Jakub Kiwior replacing Gabriel.
It didn’t take long for supporters to rescind their worries about the Poland international, who limited Madrid’s threat alongside William Saliba.
Kiwior earned high praise from Gabriel after the first leg, with the same happening after the second, as the centre-back posted on Instagram to celebrate the victory at the Bernabeu.
In the comment section of Kiwior’s post were Saliba and Gabriel, who showered their teammate with praise.
‘Incredible,’ Saliba branded the Pole, while his injured teammate said, ‘My guy’.
The central defensive duo weren’t the only ones to applaud Kiwior’s performance against Real Madrid, with other players flooding the comments with well-wishes.
Real Madrid’s forwards stood no chance against Kiwior
Though Kiwior’s future at Arsenal remains uncertain, the defender has certainly changed the opinion of fans with his heroics against Los Blancos.
In the first leg, Kiwior wasn’t dribbled past once, and at the Bernabeu, history repeated itself.
The 25-year-old showed his class against a front line of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, remaining unfazed by Real Madrid.
From concern over Gabriel’s absence to putting Kiwior on a pedestal, the quarter-final tie saw several revelations come from the Arsenal camp.
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