2 weeks Ago By Daniel Hepburn
Reigning champions Real Madrid were knocked out of the Champions League by a much more drilled Arsenal side on Wednesday night – and Lucas Vazquez took a bitter swipe at the north Londoner’s tactics in his post-match interview. Declan Rice, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Jurrien Timber and Mikel Merino – and more – all put in monstrous performances on Santiago Bernabeu turf to see them secure a spot in the semi-finals of Europe’s top table. They now face Paris Saint-Germain.
For Carlo Ancelotti ’s men, it was a two-legged encounter to file away and forget about: they struggled to muster anything of promise and, from a defensive standpoint, the Gunners found a plethora ways to trouble them, over and over again. GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Arsenal have become the first team in football history to ever win both of their first two games against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu. In the Spanish capital, Bukayo Saka ’s missed penalty gave Los Blancos a slither of hope before the Englishman deftly dinked the ball over Thibaut Courtois in the 65th minute.
Vinicius’ swift reply, following William Saliba’s mistake, turned the game on its head. But it wasn’t to be for the hosts as Gabriel Martinelli wrapped up proceedings with a well-taken goal in the 93rd minute – and it’s not unfair to say that Vazquez, who was replaced by Dani Ceballos in the 61st minute, wasn’t happy with the opponents. There were plenty of standout performers in Arsenal's win over Madrid, but the fans are thrilled with one man in particular Speaking to Movistar+, per The Mirror , the seasoned Vazquez – who stepped in as skipper in Luka Modric’s absence – was pleased with his team’s efforts on home soil as he claimed that no player lost sight of the task at hand.
“It’s a difficult moment. I think we tried today. It was a complicated match.
We didn’t have all the chances we would have liked. We didn’t lose sight of the goal. There were interruptions [but] it didn’t happen,” the Spaniard insisted.
Maybe we lacked more clarity. More patience.” On Arsenal’s game plan, the 33-year-old claimed that Mikel Arteta’s men were happy to camp behind the ball and defend their three-goal advantage from the first leg.
In fact, he insisted that, in the first half, Arsenal ‘did almost nothing’. “They came to defend, to play their role. In the first.
Half, they did almost nothing. In the second, with the team pressing, they found the victory.” And fans, responding to his comments, have no sympathy for the right-back nor any of his teammates, who failed to provide the goods.
"Don't like it? Don't lose 3-0 in the first leg." one said as another added: “Madrid had 0 shots on target in first half btw.” A third supporter commented: "This makes them even worse.
Arsenal may have created nothing whilst trying to defend, but this means that Madrid also created nothing whilst trying to attack. Double burn on himself and his own team. Jeez.
" Even Real Madrid fans were displeased with the nine-cap Spain international. Labelling him an embarrassment, they insisted that he thinks he's a better player than he is – as evidenced by his publicly poor reaction after not being called up for La Roja's Euro 2024 squad. "This guy is an embarrassment.
Plays like s*** but thinks of himself as a superstar. He tweeted a laughing emoji when he wasn't selected to go to the Euros with Spain as if he in any way had earned the place." Even though the Gunners were set to go through on the night, the Englishman was not happy with his teammate.
Vazquez also praised the fans for their undying support: “Thank you for the atmosphere you created. Real Madrid will always return. Not everything is lost.
There is a lot of [the] season left. The team is united and eager to achieve what’s left.” Looking ahead, Arsenal have the small matter of a two-legged tie with PSG – who beat Aston Villa 5-4 over two legs – to prepare for, while Ancelotti and his entourage can focus solely on overtaking Barcelona and winning the 2024/25 La Liga campaign.
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