The Galacticos had to overturn a 3-0 deficit to beat the Gunners on Wednesday night, and many of their fans were convinced that it would happen.
However, goals from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli on either side of Vinicius Junior’s strike helped Arsenal win 2-1 on the night and 5-1 on aggregate.
Saka and his teammates are through to the semi-finals now, while Vinicius Junior and his mates at Real Madrid will not be able to retain their Champions League.
What Vinicius Jr did when Bukayo Saka went to shake his hand
Saka had a mixed game for Arsenal.
The England international started strongly and troubled David Alaba. The defender even got booked for fouling the Arsenal number seven.
However, Saka’s attempted Panenka penalty was saved comfortably by Thibaut Courtois.
In the second half, the Hale End graduate came alive again and scored a lovely goal past the Belgian goalkeeper to break the deadlock on the night.
Vinicius pulled one back for the hosts, but Martinelli sealed the game and the tie with a great finish of his own late in the game.
After the full-time whistle, Saka was spotted going over to Vinicius to shake his hand. Just when the Arsenal star started to walk off, the Real Madrid man asked him for a shirt swap.
Saka obliged, the two attackers exchanged shirts, and they walked their separate ways.
What happened when Arsenal once tried to sign Vinicius Jr
Saka and Vinicius clearly have a lot of respect for each other.
The wingers are among the best in the world on their side, and they have come up with some big goals for their respective clubs and countries over the years.
Real Madrid signed Vinicius when he was young and have developed him, but Arsenal, when Unai Emery was at the helm in the summer of 2019, tried to bring the Brazilian to the Emirates.
UOL revealed in September that year that Arsenal and PSG both tried to sign Vinicius, but Real Madrid had no intention of letting him go.
That has proved to be the right decision by Florentino Perez and everyone else at Real Madrid.
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