Jude Bellingham believes Real Madrid have been “fortunate” to solely concede three as Arsenal seized the advantage in their Champions League quarter-final tie.
The reigning European champions were condemned to a damning 3-0 loss at the Emirates, with a surprising Declan Rice free-kick double leaving Los Blancos with a mountain to climb within the return leg subsequent week.
Bellingham believes Actual may have simply misplaced by a worse margin given the sheer variety of possibilities Arsenal common all through the competition, having persistently knocked on the door within the first half.
Whereas stating the tie isn’t past restoration simply but, the Englishman is fast to insist that it’ll take one thing “particular” for Actual Madrid to maintain their Champions League defence alive.
“We’re fortunate to get away with solely three,” he mentioned.
“We have been nowhere close to it, that’s the truth and Arsenal have been actually good.
“Two of the targets are actually good free kicks however to be sincere they might have had far more.
“However there’s a second leg, we’re holding onto it, we are going to want one thing unbelievably particular.
“You by no means know, however I cant come out and say we are going to surrender, it’s not within the nature of the membership and the mentality they instill in you.
“They [the free kicks] are two items of particular person high quality. If it wasn’t for them they nonetheless had quite a lot of possibilities and we received punished and that occurs.
‘We had an opportunity however in these video games you should create extra. Very not often do you come right here and rating one and undergo. We simply didn’t do sufficient, received to the ultimate third a number of occasions however they reacted properly and we didn’t do sufficient with the ball. We’re nonetheless alive, we nonetheless have 90 minutes.”
Rice’s double was added to by Mikel Merino quarter-hour from time, tucking dwelling expertly on the retreat to vindicate Arteta’s continued resolution to play the central midfielder as a makeshift quantity 9.
Arsenal will now look to defend their significant advantage in subsequent week’s second leg as they journey to the Santiago Bernabeu on April 16, presently on the verge of a spot within the final 4.
In the meantime, Actual Madrid would require a surprising turnaround to disclaim the Gunners from Champions League development, with the conflict doubtlessly posing a growth or bust situation for supervisor Carlo Ancelotti.
The winners of the tie will face both Paris Saint-Germain or Aston Villa within the semi-finals, who meet for the primary time within the French capital this night.
Source link