Arsenal hero Declan Rice admits Bukayo Saka told him to feel the moment before scoring two sensational free-kicks against Real Madrid.

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• Rice the hero against Madrid
• Scored two spectacular free-kicks
• Reveals advice from Saka before big moment

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The England midfielder was the star of the show as the Gunners recorded one of their most famous nights in Europe. With a tough trip to the Santiago Bernabeu on the horizon for the second leg of their quarter-final tie, it was crucial for Mikel Arteta's men to get off to a good start in north London. Rice was the man of the moment, beating Thibaut Courtois from outside the area twice with a pair of unstoppable strikes.

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  WHAT RICE SAID

  Rice was caught up in all of the emotions at full-time as he received a standing ovation from the Emirates crowd and he revealed in a post-match interview that his team-mate Saka gave him some sound advice before his match-winning brace. Speaking to , he said: "That's been the message from the manager. That was the message since the weekend. We need to be super convinced we can come and win this game. As a group we were really convinced. We needed to score in the second half."

  On his free-kick, he added: "It's been in the locker, but I've hit the wall too many times or it's gone over the bar. Originally we were going to cross it and then I've just seen the wall and the goalkeeper's position. So I thought just go for it. And Bukayo [Saka] said to just feel it. The second one I had the confidence. I hit it. It's not going to hit me now because there's another leg to go. I'm excited, I'm happy, I'm over the moon. But in a few years time this will really hit me that what I've done tonight was really special. [Bukayo Saka] Look, to come back in the time he has done is unbelievable. He's a top guy. We need to be ready for next week. The Bernabeu, what it's like to play there. We need to be ready."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Not many gave Arsenal a chance against the reigning European champions but heading into the second leg with a 3-0 lead is as good as it can get for the Gunners. Should they manage to get over the line against Carlo Ancelotti's men, they will fancy their chances of going all the way and winning the competition for the first time.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR RICE?

  With the return leg in Spain just a week away, Rice may be given a well-deserved rest during this weekend's Premier League clash against Brentford. A positive result at the Bernabeu would book the Gunners a clash against either Aston Villa or Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-finals.

Tags: Futebol
Category: News