Sneijder downplays Rice's improbable brace against Real!

Former Netherlands and Real Madrid star, Wesley Sneijder (40), has downplayed the stellar performance of English midfielder, Declan Rice (26), who scored a brace against Real Madrid during the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, held last night, Tuesday, at the Emirates Stadium.

The "Three Lions" player's performance was highlighted by his two superb free kicks scored in the (58' and 70') minutes of the second half.

The match ended with a resounding victory for Arsenal, 3-0, against the reigning champions, Real Madrid, with goals scored by Declan Rice and Mikel Merino (58', 70', 75').

"The wall and Courtois at fault," Wesley Sneijder reacts to Rice's free kicks!

Sneijder made controversial statements about the two free kicks scored by Rice yesterday. According to him, the shots were not as impressive as some believed, stating:

“I don’t find these free kicks that impressive. It might sound strange, but it’s extremely easy to give such a curve to a ball when you know how to strike, and I know this very well. The wall is at fault here.”

He added: “The problem lies with the defensive wall, which didn’t do its job properly. It could have closed the angle more effectively.”

Regarding Rice's second free kick, Sneijder highlighted another mistake by Real Madrid's goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, stating: “Same for the second free kick, you see Courtois shift to his right just before Rice strikes, that’s a goalkeeper’s mistake.”

It should be noted that the return match between Real Madrid and Arsenal will take place next Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

Also read: Barcelona gets a boost before the match against Dortmund!

Mohamed Rek |

Editorfr, ar, en

Mohamed Rek- sports content writer with over 10 years of experience creating football content in Arabic and French for platforms such as Foot Africa and Starafrica, combining accuracy, creativity, and audience engagement.