The Second Leg Promises a Night to Remember for Real Madrid
Jude Bellingham, Photo: Reuters
Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham expressed today that the forthcoming Champions League quarter-final second leg against Arsenal will be “a night made for Real Madrid” and noted his high motivation for the encounter.
“I’ve heard it countless times since last Sunday, watched numerous motivating videos. It’s a night tailored for Real Madrid—a night destined for the history books, one deeply connected to the people in this region. I hope we can craft another memorable evening,” Bellingham said during a press conference, as reported by the BBC.
Real Madrid will face Arsenal on Wednesday at 21:00, in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.
The Spanish team suffered a 3-0 defeat in the first leg played in London.
Historically, Real Madrid has lost by three or more goals in the first leg of a European knockout stage match five times.
The only instance they managed to overcome such a deficit in the second leg was during the 1975/76 European Cup. In that match, they lost 4-1 to Derby County in the first leg but advanced to the quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory in the return leg.
Real Madrid has yet to achieve a similar turnaround in the Champions League era.
“There isn’t much left to accomplish for Real Madrid that hasn’t been done already. Tomorrow represents our opportunity to achieve something unprecedented, which holds great importance for us,” Bellingham remarked.
Declan Rice, Bellingham’s teammate from England, netted two goals in the first match against Real Madrid, both from free kicks.
“The free kicks caught me by surprise. I knew Declan was proficient with set pieces and corners, but I had never seen him execute them in that way. Hats off to him,” Bellingham commented.
The team that prevails between Real Madrid and Arsenal will compete against the winner of the Paris Saint-Germain vs. Aston Villa tie in the Champions League semi-finals. The French side triumphed in the first leg with a score of 3-1 in Paris.
News