Arsenal is a team that has become famous for its set-piece threat, but direct free kicks are different.
Arteta said he “showed the beauty of the person who invented the sport” to score two points in 13 minutes against Real Madrid, as he hadn’t scored one goal since September 2021 after the match.
Arsenal’s free kicks are usually shot by Buka Yo Saka or Odegard, but Rice saw the space around the Madrid wall for the first goal and said he’s confident in Saka.
The English winger replied, “If you feel it, ask for it” – and he is happy that he has done it.
“It didn’t make sense to cross the ball from that angle. [which Arsenal’s set-piece coach Nicolas Jover was signalling to do on the touchline]. It has to be a delicate pass,” Rice added.
“It was magic, so I took it.”
That didn’t stop Joebar from getting upset at the celebration, and Rice then said the coach was “arguing for it.”
Arteta added:
The opener was a goal that Arsenal deserves their control, but the best hadn’t come yet.
Alan Shearer said it was “absolutely incredible,” while former Real Madrid midfielder Clarence Swordoff said “even Superman wouldn’t get it.”
“It looks much better, you don’t notice. We were going to touch it and set it up – me and Martin [Odegaard]but Mbappe stood too close.
“But I thought I had the keeper side, I’m practicing this very much – I was going for it. I was confident from the beginning. If it crossed the bar, that wouldn’t be an issue.
“I have one more leg so I’m not going to hit me right now. I’m excited, I’m happy, I’m over the moon.
“It was in the locker and I bumped into a wall many times.
“But in a few years, this will really hit me that what I did tonight was really special.”
For Rice, this was his biggest moment ever in the Arsenal shirt, but Arteta and midfielder Mikel Merino, who scored the third goal, weren’t surprised at how the former West Ham man stood up.
“If there’s a player who can do that, how neat he’ll hit it, that’s Declan,” Arteta said.
“But you need to do it at the highest level, and even for one of the best keepers in the world. That’s amazing.
“He’s very determined because we’ve been talking for the last few months. He did it tonight.”
Merino added: “He has one of the best shooting abilities I’ve seen in my career, and I wouldn’t be surprised.
Former Arsenal defender Matthew Upson told BBC Radio 5 Live that it was Rice’s “night to remember” and that he “made a difference on his own.”
