Odegaard makes pointed dig as Arsenal captain opens up on Real Madrid victory

Arsenal secured a statement success over Real Madrid in the last eight of the Champions League with Martin Odegaard hailing their attacking approach in the Bernabeu

Martin Odegaard admits he was proud that Arsenal showed the courage to actually head to Real Madrid and attack as they landed a notable Champions League win. The Gunners won both legs in their quarter-final, downing the Spanish giants in the Bernabeu.

Arsenal had secured a memorable 3-0 win over Los Blancos at the Emirates in the first-leg, but there was talk in Spain of Real mounting a comeback. That never threatened on the night however as the Premier League side continued to press home their advantage.

Bukayo Saka scored the opening goal before Gabriel Martinelli came up with a late winner for a 2-1 success on the night. Throughout the contest Arsenal looked to attack rather than sit back and defend their lead.

Several teams, even leading lights around Europe, have gone to the Spanish capital in the past and looked to soak up pressure from Real, who boast the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jnr, but Odegaard was pleased to see them go out and try to win the game.

He said: “We felt completely ready to beat them again. But if you go away to Real Madrid and want to win there, then you have to be properly on it. It’s a stadium that’s special in terms of history and they’ve had a lot of crazy games and results there – especially in the Champions League.

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“So it was about staying focused, doing our own thing and making sure we win the game again. I was so pleased that we had the courage to play our own game in the Bernabeu. A lot of teams go there and end up not doing anything, but in the second half especially we used the ball more and you could see the space open up.”

Mikel Arteta maintained in the lead up to the European clash that Arsenal would head to the Bernabeu looking to register another victory. He laid down the law early on with Real ultimately conceding five times across the 180 minutes they played.

The Arsenal boss said on their approach: “To win it. It’s the same as we did in London, our preparation for the game has been about the things that we have to do, the things that we have to dominate throughout the game, in different phases to give us the best possible chance to win the game. That’s clear in our mindset, and the way we’re going to play tomorrow.”

The Champions League is now the only trophy Arsenal can win and their success over Real was a serious statement. They now take on PSG in the semi-finals with the French outfit seen as the current frontrunners. The Gunners beat them 2-0 earlier in the tournament, but the Parisians have vastly improved in the months since.

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