Declan Rice has revealed that Arsenal never doubted their chances of advancing to the Champions League semi-finals, despite the intimidating atmosphere at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Gunners, holding a commanding 3-0 lead from the first leg of their quarter-final tie, secured a 2-1 victory in Madrid on April 16, 2025, finishing with a 5-1 aggregate score. Rice played a pivotal role once again, delivering a man-of-the-match performance to lead Arsenal to a landmark victory in club history.
Despite Real Madrid’s reputation for miraculous comebacks in European competitions, Arsenal’s players stepped onto the pitch with confidence and belief. Rice, speaking after the match, emphasized that the squad was unwavering in their resolve, even in the hostile environment of the Bernabeu.
In an interview with TNT Sports, Rice shared: “It’s such a special night for this club, a historic night. We came here with one objective to win. There was a lot of talk about them making a comeback, but we had so much belief from the first leg that we knew we had enough to win here. We knew it was going to be tough, but we knew we were going to win.”
This victory against the defending European champions has added new optimism to an Arsenal fanbase eager for silverware. Despite not having won a Premier League title in over 20 years, Arsenal’s stunning Champions League performance has reignited hopes of future success.
Rice also reflected on his arrival at the club, noting: “I sensed the club was on an upward trajectory before I signed. With the players we’ve got, this club is going to do special things in the future. We all fully trust in the manager, and we have exciting young talents like [Myles Lewis-Skelly] and [Ethan Nwaneri] coming through.”
Looking ahead to the semi-finals, Arsenal will face Paris Saint-Germain, a familiar foe after beating them 2-0 earlier in the group stage. However, Rice acknowledges that PSG will be a tougher challenge this time around.
“PSG are an amazing team. We’ve played them once already and we feel they’re a different team now. They’ve shown what they can do, but we’ve also seen teams like [Aston] Villa give them trouble,” said Rice.
The semi-final first leg will take place at Emirates Stadium on April 29, with the second leg in Paris scheduled for May 7.
