Rice's glorious double rocket puts exhilarating Arsenal in dreamland

Who knew that Declan Rice would be able to bend a free-kick like Beckham? On the very biggest stage. And not just once, either. On a red-letter night for Arsenal, one to fire dreams of the ultimate triumph, their key midfielder brought the house down; Real Madrid to their knees, as well.

- David Hytner

It is never wise to write off the Champions League holders, the 15-time winners, the club that have the patent on voodoo-style comebacks. Surely not this time.

Rice had never previously scored from a direct free-kick in his nine-season professional career. He did it twice here inside 12 golden second-half minutes and against Thibaut Courtois, too - arguably the best goalkeeper in Europe. Both were marked by precision, a total mastery of the flight and swerve; each one into the same side of the net from a little over 25 yards out.

The second had grown men and women rubbing their eyes, Rice jumping onto the top of an advertising board, literally ten feet tall after picking out the far top corner. There would be even more for Arsenal. The outstanding Myles Lewis-Skelly was involved, playing the final pass after yet another incision and there was Mikel Merino to sweep home for 3-0.

Madrid would finish with 10 men, Eduardo Camavinga sent off for kicking the ball away - a second bookable offence, their implosion complete. It was one of the finest nights of Arsenal's history and one that Rice will cherish forever.

It was a seismic occasion for Arsenal, the club's biggest game surely since 2009-10 when they faced Barcelona in the quarter-final of this competition and lost.