Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois takes blame for Declan Rice's opening free-kick goal

Despite Rice's two world-class strikes in the second half, Courtois was quick to accept that his positioning played a part in the stunning opening goal.

Rice, who had never scored a direct free-kick before, delivered a moment of magic at the Emirates, leaving Madrid stunned and giving Arsenal a commanding lead in the tie. After the match, Courtois admitted his role in the goal.

"I thought I'd positioned the wall well," said the Belgian.

"I usually put in an extra man, and I take responsibility for that. I could have added another, but I didn't expect Rice to get that much curl on it. The second goal was a great one, but we made unnecessary fouls when there was no danger."

Madrid's focus now shifts to the return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on April 16, where they will need to mount a near-miraculous comeback to keep their European dream alive. Historically, Real Madrid are no strangers to dramatic Champions League comebacks, but coach Carlo Ancelotti was blunt about the team's chances.

"We have a small possibility," he said after the loss. "Today, Arsenal were better than us in attitude, quality, and pretty much everything."

The pressure is mounting on Madrid, who have underperformed at times this season despite sitting second in La Liga and reaching the Copa del Rey final. However, Ancelotti remains hopeful, echoing the same fighting spirit that fueled their 2022 Champions League comeback victories against PSG, Chelsea, and Manchester City.

"If you look at the game tonight, there's no possibility. But football is always changing," Ancelotti added. "No one expected Rice to score those free-kicks. We have to believe."

Despite the heavy defeat, Madrid's players are keeping their heads up, with full-back Lucas Vázquez remaining optimistic: "If there's one team in the world who can turn this around, it's us, in our stadium, with our fans."

But midfielder Jude Bellingham's words were more somber.

"We're disappointed, more so in ourselves," he said. "We've had similar issues all season when we've dropped points. We'll need something special to turn it around. We have to be honest and humble about this defeat, but anything can happen in the return leg. History has proven it - we've scored plenty of goals in comeback games. It's not in this club's mentality to give up."

As Madrid now prepare for their La Liga trip to Alaves on Sunday, the eyes of Europe will be on the Bernabeu next week to see if the 15-time European champions can once again write another chapter in their storied history of comebacks.