London, England – Arsenal football club don make history as dem defeat defending champions Real Madrid 2-0 for Bernabeu on Wednesday night, securing dem spot for Champions League semi-finals. True, England midfielder Declan Rice collect man-of-the-match award, showing say he be top player wetin Arsenal dey depend on.
Matthew Upson, former defender wey don play for Arsenal, talk say Declan Rice performance na clear sign wetin show say him level dey high. ‘For Declan Rice to come away from both these games with man of the match tells you something. That’s a big sign you have a top player,’ Upson talk for BBC Football Daily podcast.
Upson also add say Rice don show im ability to perform well in high-pressure matches, not just for Arsenal but also in the wider Premier League. ‘He can cover it all, wherever you want to slot him into whatever system, he would be able to adapt and play at this level,’ he explain.
The Gunners’ success against Real Madrid don boost dem chances for the Champions League, with Opta predicting say dem get 28.7% chance to lift the trophy this season. The recent poll put Arsenal’s chances even higher to 41%, ahead of Paris St-Germain (27%), Barcelona (23%), and Inter Milan (8%).
Opta’s supercomputer model dey work base on historical and current team performances, betting market odds, and the strength of opponents. ‘By analysing the outcome of each of these simulations, the model can see how often teams finished in each position to create our final predictions,’ dem talk.
Despite dem victory, Arsenal fans go dey cautious as dem dey prepare for semi-finals against tough opponents. Upson also express concern say no team fit understate Inter Milan’s effectiveness as cup competition chances. ‘They may not be as exciting as the others but seem a very effective cup team,’ he warn.
The reactions from fans and football analysts don dey positive as dem de highlight how Arsenal na serious contenders for the title this year. ‘I was thoroughly impressed by Arsenal last night. They went with the plan, absorbed all the hype and voodoo, and contained Real Madrid very well,’ one Liverpool fan share.
Even with Arsenal’s dominant performance, dem fans for Madrid go dey wonder wetin go happen next season as dem face uncertainty about Carlo Ancelotti future. Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague indicate say lots of questions for Ancelotti during post-match news conference.
As Arsenal celebrate their qualification for the semi-finals, tension go still dey for Manchester United and Tottenham as dem prepare for their own Europa League clashes. United dey face Lyon in a decisive match while Spurs organize to meet Frankfurt.
For Rangers, their journey for Europa League come to an end after dem fall to Athletic Bilbao, ending a disappointing night for Scottish football fans.
