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Arsenal dethroned the kings of the Champions League with ease as a 5-1 aggregate rout of Real Madrid sent the Gunners into the semi-finals for the first time since 2009.

A commanding 3-0 first leg victory, lit up by two stunning Declan Rice free-kicks, laid the foundations in London.

But a 2-1 win in the cauldron of the Santiago Bernabeu to complete the job on Wednesday was a coming-of-age performance for Mikel Arteta’s rising stars.

Arteta’s only major trophy in five and a half years in charge remains the 2020 FA Cup, just months into his reign.

But the Spaniard has transformed a sleeping giant back into serial contenders for major honours.

“I sensed before I signed for the club that we were on an upwards trajectory,” said Rice, who rejected the advances of Manchester City to join Arsenal for a club record £105 million ($139 million) in 2023.

“This club is going to do special things in the coming years. We all fully believe in it, we have full trust in this manager – he’s unbelievable!”

Despite never winning the competition, Arsenal were part of the Champions League furniture in the early years of Arsene Wenger’s reign.

Between 2000 and 2017, they never failed to qualify for Europe’s elite competition.

But they spent six years without Champions League football when that run ended.

Slowly, Arteta rebuilt Arsenal back into a force around a core of promising talent now coming into their prime.

Not for the first time in his young career, Bukayo Saka did not let a missed penalty on the big stage affect him.

Saka’s early spot-kick was saved by Thibaut Courtois, giving Madrid belief another miraculous Champions League comeback was on for the Spanish giants.

But the England international extinguished that hope with a sumptuous dink over the giant Belgian ‘keeper 25 minutes from time to give Arsenal the lead on the night.

William Saliba blotted what was an otherwise flawless display over two legs to shut down his French international team-mate Kylian Mbappe moments later as Vinicius Junior pounced to bring Real level.

READ ALSO: Arsenal Knock Out Holders Real Madrid To Reach Champions League Semis

 Rice ‘immense’

But even then, Arsenal were unflustered and quickly snuffed out any Madrid momentum.

Full-backs Myles Lewis-Skelly and Jurrien Timber locked down the threat of Vinicius and Rodrygo out wide.

And Rice won the midfield battle against his England team-mate Jude Bellingham with a virtuoso performance that saw him crowned man of the match in both legs.

“Tonight he was immense,” said Arteta. “In the moment that the game was 50-50, he got on the ball and turned the game.”

In the past two seasons, Arsenal have fallen just short to an all-conquering Manchester City in the Premier League title race.

They are on course to finish second for a third consecutive year as Liverpool close in on the title.

But the Champions League offers Arteta the chance to deliver the major piece of silverware that his project is still missing.

“It’s such a special night for this club, it’s a historic night for this club,” added Rice.

“We have an objective in this competition, we want to play the best teams and we want to win this competition.”

One of Arteta’s former clubs as a player, Paris Saint-Germain, await in the last four of a wide-open competition.

None of the clubs remaining have won the competition for at least a decade as Barcelona face Inter Milan in the other semi-final.

“It’s the third time in our history that we’ve done what we’ve just done (reaching the semi-finals),” added Arteta.

“So we need to build on that. We are really hungry, we want more. It’s a really young team that is very determined.

“And all these experiences, including me for sure, is going to help us a lot to try to achieve something big.”

Arsenal dethroned the kings of the Champions League with ease as a 5-1 aggregate rout of Real Madrid sent the Gunners into the semi-finals for the first time since 2009.

A commanding 3-0 first leg victory, lit up by two stunning Declan Rice free-kicks, laid the foundations in London.

But a 2-1 win in the cauldron of the Santiago Bernabeu to complete the job on Wednesday was a coming-of-age performance for Mikel Arteta’s rising stars.

Arteta’s only major trophy in five and a half years in charge remains the 2020 FA Cup, just months into his reign.

But the Spaniard has transformed a sleeping giant back into serial contenders for major honours.

“I sensed before I signed for the club that we were on an upwards trajectory,” said Rice, who rejected the advances of Manchester City to join Arsenal for a club record £105 million ($139 million) in 2023.

“This club is going to do special things in the coming years. We all fully believe in it, we have full trust in this manager – he’s unbelievable!”

Despite never winning the competition, Arsenal were part of the Champions League furniture in the early years of Arsene Wenger’s reign.

Between 2000 and 2017, they never failed to qualify for Europe’s elite competition.

But they spent six years without Champions League football when that run ended.

Slowly, Arteta rebuilt Arsenal back into a force around a core of promising talent now coming into their prime.

Not for the first time in his young career, Bukayo Saka did not let a missed penalty on the big stage affect him.

Saka’s early spot-kick was saved by Thibaut Courtois, giving Madrid belief another miraculous Champions League comeback was on for the Spanish giants.

But the England international extinguished that hope with a sumptuous dink over the giant Belgian ‘keeper 25 minutes from time to give Arsenal the lead on the night.

William Saliba blotted what was an otherwise flawless display over two legs to shut down his French international team-mate Kylian Mbappe moments later as Vinicius Junior pounced to bring Real level.

READ ALSO: Arsenal Knock Out Holders Real Madrid To Reach Champions League Semis

 Rice ‘immense’

But even then, Arsenal were unflustered and quickly snuffed out any Madrid momentum.

Full-backs Myles Lewis-Skelly and Jurrien Timber locked down the threat of Vinicius and Rodrygo out wide.

And Rice won the midfield battle against his England team-mate Jude Bellingham with a virtuoso performance that saw him crowned man of the match in both legs.

“Tonight he was immense,” said Arteta. “In the moment that the game was 50-50, he got on the ball and turned the game.”

In the past two seasons, Arsenal have fallen just short to an all-conquering Manchester City in the Premier League title race.

They are on course to finish second for a third consecutive year as Liverpool close in on the title.

But the Champions League offers Arteta the chance to deliver the major piece of silverware that his project is still missing.

“It’s such a special night for this club, it’s a historic night for this club,” added Rice.

“We have an objective in this competition, we want to play the best teams and we want to win this competition.”

One of Arteta’s former clubs as a player, Paris Saint-Germain, await in the last four of a wide-open competition.

None of the clubs remaining have won the competition for at least a decade as Barcelona face Inter Milan in the other semi-final.

“It’s the third time in our history that we’ve done what we’ve just done (reaching the semi-finals),” added Arteta.

“So we need to build on that. We are really hungry, we want more. It’s a really young team that is very determined.

“And all these experiences, including me for sure, is going to help us a lot to try to achieve something big.”

Inter Milan reached the semi-finals of the Champions League on Wednesday after drawing 2-2 with Bayern Munich to win a pulsating last-eight tie 4-3 on aggregate.

Italian champions Inter will face Barcelona in the semis after goals in the space of three minutes from captain Lautaro Martinez and Benjamin Pavard cancelled out a Harry Kane strike for Bayern which levelled the tie in the 52nd minute.

Eric Dier’s looping header in the 75th minute earned Bayern a draw on the night in soaking and blustery Milan but that wasn’t enough for Vincent Kompany’s side to continue their bid to be crowned Kings of Europe for a seventh time.

Simone Inzaghi’s side came through in awful conditions at the San Siro where a combination of heavy rain and driving winds affected both teams’ ability to play their best football, but added uncertainty and tension to an already highly-charged occasion.

Inter are still on for a repeat of the Serie A, Champions League and Italian Cup treble won under Jose Mourinho in 2010, as they are also three points ahead of Napoli in Italy’s top flight and face AC Milan in the semi-finals of the domestic cup.

READ ALSO: Arsenal Knock Out Holders Real Madrid To Reach Champions League Semis

And Wednesday’s win showed that Inter are more than capable or reaching the final of Europe’s elite club competition, as they did two years ago when they were narrowly beaten by Manchester City.

Bayern had won all three of their previous Champions League away matches at Inter, but after Pavard crashed home his first goal for the club in the 61st minute there was no way back for the injury-hit Bundesliga leaders.

Inter will also benefit from playing the second leg of their showdown with Barca, who they beat in the semi-finals on their way to victory in Madrid 15 years ago, at the San Siro.

– Treble dream –
The hosts didn’t come alive until their fans, who had been sat and stood in silence for the first 20 minutes in protest at ticket prices, burst loudly in song.

By that time the wind had picked up so much that one Inter cross almost swung back out of the penalty box, but even with the wind in their faces the hosts were on the up.

Thuram just failed to get a touch on Francesco Acerbi’s scuffed finish in the 29th minute, and moments later Hakan Calhanoglu crashed powerful shot just wide of the upright.

Bayern reacted and pushed Inter back into their own area for the final minutes of the opening half, but a combination of the conditions, desperate defending and poor finishing kept the match scoreless at the break.

Inter started the second half the stronger but Kane levelled the tie with a brilliantly taken goal, shifting onto his right and drilling a low shot through Federico Dimarco’s leg’s and past Yann Sommer.

Just moments before Kane had rookie Bayern goalkeeper to thank for stopping him scoring an own goal, but not long afterwards Martinez re-established Inter’s advantage when he controlled Dimarco’s corner and lashed home.

And Pavard decided the tie three minutes later with a bullet header against his former club from another corner, sending the San Siro wild with delight.

That wasn’t it though as Dier moved Bayern back to within a goal of extra-time, but when Sommer smothered Kane’s header in stoppage time Inter’s treble dream was kept alive.

Inter Milan reached the semi-finals of the Champions League on Wednesday after drawing 2-2 with Bayern Munich to win a pulsating last-eight tie 4-3 on aggregate.

Italian champions Inter will face Barcelona in the semis after goals in the space of three minutes from captain Lautaro Martinez and Benjamin Pavard cancelled out a Harry Kane strike for Bayern which levelled the tie in the 52nd minute.

Eric Dier’s looping header in the 75th minute earned Bayern a draw on the night in soaking and blustery Milan but that wasn’t enough for Vincent Kompany’s side to continue their bid to be crowned Kings of Europe for a seventh time.

Simone Inzaghi’s side came through in awful conditions at the San Siro where a combination of heavy rain and driving winds affected both teams’ ability to play their best football, but added uncertainty and tension to an already highly-charged occasion.

Inter are still on for a repeat of the Serie A, Champions League and Italian Cup treble won under Jose Mourinho in 2010, as they are also three points ahead of Napoli in Italy’s top flight and face AC Milan in the semi-finals of the domestic cup.

READ ALSO: Arsenal Knock Out Holders Real Madrid To Reach Champions League Semis

And Wednesday’s win showed that Inter are more than capable or reaching the final of Europe’s elite club competition, as they did two years ago when they were narrowly beaten by Manchester City.

Bayern had won all three of their previous Champions League away matches at Inter, but after Pavard crashed home his first goal for the club in the 61st minute there was no way back for the injury-hit Bundesliga leaders.

Inter will also benefit from playing the second leg of their showdown with Barca, who they beat in the semi-finals on their way to victory in Madrid 15 years ago, at the San Siro.

– Treble dream –
The hosts didn’t come alive until their fans, who had been sat and stood in silence for the first 20 minutes in protest at ticket prices, burst loudly in song.

By that time the wind had picked up so much that one Inter cross almost swung back out of the penalty box, but even with the wind in their faces the hosts were on the up.

Thuram just failed to get a touch on Francesco Acerbi’s scuffed finish in the 29th minute, and moments later Hakan Calhanoglu crashed powerful shot just wide of the upright.

Bayern reacted and pushed Inter back into their own area for the final minutes of the opening half, but a combination of the conditions, desperate defending and poor finishing kept the match scoreless at the break.

Inter started the second half the stronger but Kane levelled the tie with a brilliantly taken goal, shifting onto his right and drilling a low shot through Federico Dimarco’s leg’s and past Yann Sommer.

Just moments before Kane had rookie Bayern goalkeeper to thank for stopping him scoring an own goal, but not long afterwards Martinez re-established Inter’s advantage when he controlled Dimarco’s corner and lashed home.

And Pavard decided the tie three minutes later with a bullet header against his former club from another corner, sending the San Siro wild with delight.

That wasn’t it though as Dier moved Bayern back to within a goal of extra-time, but when Sommer smothered Kane’s header in stoppage time Inter’s treble dream was kept alive.