Real Madrid put too much pressure on themselves and that was one of the reasons of their surprising elimination from the Champions League at the feet of Arsenal. After a 3-0 defeat in London the entire Madrid machine was talking about how they would win it in Madrid with limited thought that the team currently appears unbalanced and that the rout in London was no coincidence. The players may have been psyched as much as the fans but this was not obvious on the pitch as Arsenal were organised and level-headed, something that they kept even as Bukayo Saka missed a penalty to a save from the great Van der Saar.
It was 0-0 late in the match with little prospect for a Real Madrid goal when Saka himself made it all good and brought Arsenal ahead. Vinicius Jr. equalized shortly after following a gift from the Arsenal defense giving the locals a bit of hope, but their attacks were feeble, and in the dying seconds of the match Gabriel Martinelli scored the winner for Arsenal.
A lot will likely change in Real Madrid the coming weeks as it appears that Carlo Ancelotti will leave and with him many players, and many new signings may happen.
No matter what, there is one thing that may be forgotten as everyone talks about Real Madrid: Arsenal are splendid! They will now face PSG in the semifinals, a strong side yes, but also one that could shake under pressure, and Arsenal have demonstrated that they can put anyone under pressure.
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