Declan Rice had two spectacular free kicks stole the show as Arsenal defeated Real Madrid 3-0 in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, in what was perhaps the best night ever at the Emirates Stadium.
The Arsenal midfielder, who had never scored a free-kick before Tuesday night, scored twice and left Thibaut Courtois powerless as the ball left his right foot.
Declan Rice may have taken a significant step toward becoming a Gunners legend by delivering one of the most impacting performances in the club’s long history.
Arsenal thrashed Real Madrid, Rice explained the reasoning behind both of his free kicks.
Declan Rice admitted that looking down during free kicks benefited him during Arsenal versus Real Madrid.
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Alan Shearer praised Rice’s two free kicks against Real Madrid, and Arsenal’s man of the moment revealed that he has discovered that whenever he glances at the ball before striking it in training, the results are unsatisfactory.
Even Real Madrid legend Jude Bellingham was caught aback by Rice’s free-kicks as Arsenal annihilated the visitors. Rice also revealed that when he doesn’t look at the ball, his shots are frequently significantly more accurate, and the tiny alteration he made worked well.
Thierry Henry asked Rice on CBS Sports, “But you know what I like about the technique is that you whipped it so hard early and didn’t let your foot go, if you know what I mean. You held it.”
Rice replied: “I feel like when I practice these free-kicks, what I tend to notice is when I make the contact and I look up quick, it’s not the strike I want. When I stare down on the ball and just focus on the ball and know in the spot I want to put it in, I tend to have better consistency with it and obviously, that’s a one in a, I don’t know what situation. I’ve been practicing it, and it’s paid off, and scoring two won’t surprise me.”
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