Gunners ground Galacticos

Arsenal defeated defending champion Real Madrid 2-1 Wednesday to reach the Champions League semifinals for the first time since 2009 in a match where VAR played a key role in two penalty decisions.

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Arsenal advanced 5-1 on aggregate after winning 3-0 in London last week, keeping alive its chances of winning Europe’s top club competition for the first time. It will face Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals.

There was no historic come back for Madrid this time. No late goals, no high drama, no magic at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

The 15-time European champions fell short of the last four for the first time since 2020, ending its shot at a third Champions League title in four seasons.

"There was a lot of talk coming here about (Real Madrid) coming back, because they’ve done it so many times before, but we had so much belief and confidence from that first game to come here and win," Arsenal’s Declan Rice said. “We had it in our minds and now we’ve done it in real life.”

Momentum shift