Fan footage from Real Madrid’s 3-0 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates on Tuesday evening appears to show two players ignore boss Carlo Ancelotti’s instructions.
Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga were seen on the touchline with Ancelotti giving them instructions, though the England midfielder appeared to snub the advice.
GettyAncelotti instructed Bellingham and Camavinga but they appeared to disagree[/caption]
Bellingham could be seen shaking his head in disagreement with his manager as he and Camavinga disputed Ancelotti’s instructions.
Ancelotti – the most successful manager in Champions League history – cut a miserable figure for large parts of the match at the Emirates as he watched his side concede three goals in quick succession.
Real Madrid‘s usual stars of Bellingham and Camavinga joined the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo on what became a dismal night for the 15-time European champions.
Bellingham – who has scored three goals and three assists in the Champions League so far this season – was largely absent for the game.
Mbappe also had a quiet night, kept at bay by international teammate William Saliba, Jakub Kiwior, Jurrien Timber and Myles Lewis-Skelly in defence.
The Gunners dominated the Spanish side, registering 11 shots on target to Madrid’s three, and 12 shots to their nine.
It was Declan Rice who was the hero of the night however, scoring not one, but two fantastic free-kicks against the current champions to send his side 2-0 up in the second half.
The England midfielder had never scored a direct free-kick in 338 professional games, but after his 339th match, he had ripped Real apart with a magical set-piece double.
Prior to the game on Tuesday, Arsenal had not scored from a direct set-piece in almost four years, with their last coming from Martin Odegaard against Burnley in September 2021.
Real Madrid had no answer to Rice’s brilliance and it got better for Arsenal with 15 minutes to play when Mikel Merino found the bottom corner with a well-taken low finish from the edge of the box.
GettyBellingham looked dejected after the 3-0 defeat[/caption]
GettyEngland teammates Rice and Bellingham[/caption]
To cap off a miserable night for Ancelotti’s side, Camavinga was dismissed for a second yellow in stoppage time, meaning he will miss the second-leg.
Madrid must now produce a stunning comeback at the Bernabeu next week if they are to continue their title defence.
Boss Carlo Ancelotti said: “If you look at the game tonight there is no possibility (of a comeback at the Bernabeu) – but nobody expected Rice would score two goals from set-pieces, so in football anything can happen.
“The possibility is low but we have to try 100 per cent, and do all we can. It is an opportunity to show a response to a poor game.”
Rice also became only the fifth player to score two free-kicks in a Champions League match and the first against the Spanish giants.
Arsenal, who reached this stage last season, haven’t played in the Champions League semi-finals since 2009.
The second leg is scheduled to be held at the Santiago Bernabeu next Wednesday, live on talkSPORT.
If Arsenal can defend their first leg lead they will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Aston Villa in the last four.
