Milan, April 16 (LaPresse) – Arsenal qualifies for the Champions League semifinals thanks to a 2-1 victory away at Real Madrid in the second leg of the quarterfinals, following their 3-0 win in the first leg. At the Bernabeu, VAR played a key role in the first half, calling French referee Letexier twice: once after 15 minutes to award Arsenal a penalty, which Saka squandered with a poorly executed Panenka that went straight to Courtois. Then, before the half-hour mark, VAR intervened again to overturn a penalty initially given to Real for contact between Mbappé and Rice in the box. Real threatened with Rudiger and Mbappé, while Martinelli was Arsenal’s main danger. In the second half, despite Real's pressure, it was Arsenal who scored first, with Saka making up for his earlier miss. With qualification secured, the Gunners relaxed slightly, allowing Vinicius Jr. to equalize after a shocking goalkeeper error. Deep into stoppage time, with Real fully committed forward, Arsenal sealed the 2-1 win on the counterattack through Martinelli. In the semifinals, Arteta’s Gunners will face Paris Saint-Germain.
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