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Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal boss, praised Declan Rice for scoring two exceptional free kicks, even though he disregarded the instruction of set-piece coach Nicolas Jover.
The Gunners defeated Real Madrid 3-0 on Tuesday night in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinal clash.
Two remarkable free kicks from Declan Rice and a superb finish from Mikel Merino sealed the win for Arsenal.
They have a huge advantage heading to Santiago Bernabéu for the second leg, which looks like a difficult task for Real Madrid.
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15:05 - 12.04.2025
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta Reveals How Declan Rice Managed Heroics Against Real Madrid
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has shed light on how Declan Rice managed to score his free-kick brace against Real Madrid.
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23:20 - 16.04.2025
Arsenal 5-1 Real Madrid: Mikel Arteta’s team come of age in epic night at Bernabeu to reach UCL semis
Arsenal FC produced one of the best performance of the Mikel Arteta's era to book a first UCL semifinal in 16 years after doing the double over reigning champions Real Madrid.
Arteta speaks on Rice’s comment
Rice revealed that he received a different instruction from set-piece coach Nicolas Jover, which Arteta has spoken about.
After the game, he revealed during his post-match press conference, "He's claiming for it but he's told me to cross it."
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Arteta has urged his players to take more initiative and follow Rice's lead when asked about Rice's comments.
According to the Mirror, Arteta told reporters, "They have to make the decision. I love it, especially when it goes in the back of the net instead of losing it on the counterattack! We are here to help them, to paint the picture of what the options are, but I loved it.
"When we talk about taking the next step, it is a lot about that. Taking the initiative, making things happen on the pitch and believing you can actually win the game by yourself sometimes.
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"I was really impressed with the way he (Rice) did it. You have to do something that is not in the books, we always talk about it. It is like the energy we create in the stadium. That's a magical moment.
"It felt like the crowd was taking that ball and putting it into the net. It was something special that night from the beginning, and when you are able to create those moments, you are more likely to experience the situation we had.
"The first one he [Jover] says, 'You see I told him to bend the ball' [imitating Jover asking the ball to be whipped], because the crowd and the people can't really understand. I had my nephew telling me, 'I saw Nico telling him…' I said: 'You don't wanna know the truth…'”
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