Jude Bellingham (22, Real Madrid) admitted to a complete loss.
Real Madrid lost 0-3 to Arsenal in the away match of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg, held at the Arsenal Stadium in London, England, on Nov. 9 (Korea time).
Although Arsenal's victory was anticipated, they conceded two goals to Arsenal's midfielder Declan Rice from free kicks and ultimately collapsed with a score of 0-3.
Real Madrid set out in a 4-4-2 formation. Vinícius and Kylian Mbappé led the attack, while Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Luka Modrić, and Rodrygo formed the midfield. The back four consisted of David Alaba, Antonio Rüdiger, Raúl Alencar, and Federico Valverde. Thibaut Courtois guarded the goal.
Arsenal matched in a 4-3-3 formation. Up front, Gabriel Martinelli, Mikel Merino, and Bukayo Saka were positioned, while the midfield consisted of Declan Rice, Thomas Partey, and Martin Ødegaard. The back four was responsible for by Myles Lewis-Skelly, Jakub Kiwior, William Saliba, and Jurrien Timber. The goalkeeping gloves were worn by David Raya.
The first half ended with both teams scoreless, maintaining a tense flow, but in the second half, Real quickly showed signs of weakness. In the 14th minute of the second half, they conceded the opening goal to Rice from a free kick, and in the 26th minute, they conceded another goal from a free kick.
Real showed cracks in defense, and in the 30th minute of the second half, they allowed a third goal to Merino, tipping the scales of the match. They failed to intercept a pass from Lewis-Skelly and were unable to control Merino's shot.
Having failed to rebound on both offense and defense, Real faced worsening conditions when, in stoppage time, Camavinga received a second yellow card for accumulating warnings, leading to his ejection from the match. Already on a yellow card, he received a second warning for unnecessary delay tactics, making him ineligible for the next match.
Real Madrid suffered a complete defeat with a score of 0-3, putting them in a situation where they need a major turnaround in the second leg to advance to the semifinals.
After the match, UEFA Champions League shared an interview with Jude Bellingham through its official website.
In an interview with "Amazon Prime Video," Bellingham said, "We were not prepared at all. That is the truth. Arsenal showed really good performance."
He noted, "I know that Arsenal's two goals came from free kicks and were excellent individual kicks, but honestly, we could have conceded more goals. Ending with three goals against us was fortunate."
He added, "The fact that there is a second leg is our only hope. We need something incredibly special, something crazy. But if there is a place where such a crazy thing can happen, it is in our home ground, the Bernabéu."
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