“I have faced Kyle Walker many times but this Arsenal player did something I’ve never seen in my whole career”: Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr has named ONE Arsenal’s player as the most difficult opponent he has ever faced in his career

Multiple Real Madrid players expressed their confidence that they will be able to make it through to the Champions League semi-finals despite getting thumped 3-0 by Arsenal in the first leg of their quarter-final tie on Tuesday night.

Declan Rice scored two devastating free kicks before Mikel Merino completed a second-half rout with Arsenal’s third goal in the space of 17 minutes. The Gunners were well worth their victory, rattling off 11 shots on target – the joint-most ever recorded against Real Madrid in a Champions League knockout tie.

Neither the scoreline nor the chasm in quality seemed to deter Madrid’s ambitions about mounting a comeback when Arsenal travel to the Spanish capital on Wednesday, 16 April.

“We have to believe until the end,” Kylian Mbappe wrote on Instagram after telling reporters: “Of course we can come back.”

Jude Bellingham was full of praise for Arsenal before turning his focus towards the tie in Spain. “There is a second leg, that’s the thing we’re holding on to,” the England international warned. “We’re going to need something unbelievably special, something crazy really, but if there’s one place where crazy things can happen it’s our house.”

Lucas Vazquez echoed Bellingham’s sentiment. “If there’s a team that can turn around a 3-0 loss, it’s Real Madrid,” he warned. “The Madridistas will be with us.”

Madrid boast a lofty reputation for mounting stunning European turnarounds but whether the numbers match the legend is another matter. The Spanish giants have lost the first leg of a European Cup knockout tie away from home on 29 previous occasions, advancing through to the next round 14 times.

Raul Asencio hasn’t been involved in any Madrid comebacks but is already looking forward to one. “This isn’t over yet,” the academy graduate insisted. “One more game at the Bernabeu. We’re already thinking about it.”

Carlo Ancelotti captured the quiet confidence bubbling throughout Madrid’s squad. “If you look at tonight’s game, it seems like there’s no chance. But in football, unpredictable things happen,” the wily Italian grinned. “Nobody expected Rice to score two free kicks, and he did. Anything can happen in this sport. We have to believe, trust; because sometimes, a lot, things happen at the Bernabeu.”