There are very few, if any, positives to be taken away from north London following a Champions League quarterfinal loss as severe as the one Real Madrid suffered at the Emirates Stadium this week. That night, Declan Rice scored twice from a free-kick to help Arsenal win 3-0 in the first leg.
In actuality, only four teams in the history of the competition have ever overcome a three-goal deficit to win a knockout match, and none of them are Carlo Ancelotti’s team. But there’s always a chance when you have a squad as strong as theirs.
Jude Bellingham acknowledged this sentiment when he gave a stirring speech to try to up the ante ahead of a pivotal return leg at the Bernabeu next week on April 16 to a thunderous round of applause from his teammates.
Jude Bellingham’s Rousing Speech After Arsenal Defeat
The Englishman was eager to ensure his teammates’ heads didn’t drop
The English midfielder was among several senior players who spoke to the team in the irate away dressing room at the Emirates, according to El Chiringuito TV. Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe, Bellingham, and Federico Valverde all contributed to the team’s motivation, which was met with thunderous ovation.
According to the TV station, Valverde’s inspirational address focused on the team’s great heritage as 15-time European Champions and the pride of playing and battling for Real Madrid. According to reports, the Uruguayan midfielder stated:
“Whatever became of us? This is not possible. We still have ninety minutes to prove that we are Real Madrid. There are fifteen Champions Leagues. Within the first fifteen minutes, we must score. We will win if we score within the first fifteen minutes. We’ll be back!”
What Bellingham said in his address is unknown, but the Los Blancos players are confident they can accomplish what seems like an impossible task. The midfielder, who is one of the players vying for a Ballon d’Or this season, stressed to Arsenal in his post-game interview on Tuesday night that “anything can happen at the Bernabeu.”
We are clinging to the hope that there will be a second leg. We need something truly unique, something insane, but our home is one location where weird things occur. We’ve got 90 more minutes at home to pull something out of the bag. We still have ninety minutes of football remaining.
xz
