Carlo Ancelotti’s side never looked like pulling off one of their trademark comebacks as their defence of the European Cup ended on Wednesday
Real Madrid were unable to muster a signature comeback in the Champions League against Arsenal, and went out of the competition with a whimper as their frontline folded in a 2-1 home loss to Arsenal on Wednesday. On a night poised for Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr to stand out, the duo fell flat, while the Gunners dominated and were good value for the 5-1 aggregate win over two legs.
It might have been different, though. Thibaut Courtois played his part early, saving Bukayo Saka’s poorly hit penalty with a strong palm after VAR adjudged Raul Asencio to have dragged Mikel Merino down in the box. Madrid then thought they had another lifeline when Kylian Mbappe was brought down in the box by Declan Rice, but the penalty decision was overturned after a lengthy VAR review.
The second half was livelier as Arsenal took the lead on the night with a fine team goal that was finished off by Saka, who lifted the ball over Courtois to spare his early blushes. It might have killed off the tie for good, but Madrid responded instantly as Vinicius latched onto a William Saliba mistake to level the score on the night.
But just as it seemed the valiant comeback was on, things quietened down. Arsenal squeezed the spaces as Madrid lacked both attacking options and the inspiration to take advantage of them, which in turn left Gabriel Martinelli to kill the tie off for good as he sprinted through on goal and slotted the ball into the bottom corner in stoppage time. No Madrid magic this time – for once.
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