Soon-to-be Celtic star Kieran Tierney made his return to European action on Tuesday night, playing the final 10 minutes as Arsenal stunned Real Madrid 3-0 in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg.
The 27-year-old left-back, who has formally agreed to rejoin the Hoops when his Arsenal contract expires this summer, was introduced as a late substitute by Mikel Arteta with the Gunners already three goals to the good at the Emirates Stadium.
Tierney, a product of Celtic's youth academy who made 170 appearances for the Hoops between 2015 and 2019, helped the North London side see out a commanding victory that puts them in pole position to reach their first Champions League semi-final since 2009.
On a night of high drama, it was England midfielder Declan Rice who stole the headlines with two sensational free-kicks. After a fast-paced first half where Arsenal dominated but couldn't break through, Rice curved a spectacular free-kick past Thibaut Courtois in the 58th minute to send the Emirates into raptures.
The former West Ham man wasn't done there, bending another set-piece into the top corner just 12 minutes later to double Arsenal's advantage.
Mikel Merino then added a third with a curling effort from inside the area to put Arteta's men firmly in control of the tie.
Real Madrid's misery was compounded when midfielder Eduardo Camavinga received a second yellow card for kicking the ball away in stoppage time, ruling him out of the return leg at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Share