Arsenal star Declan Rice couldn’t hide his frustration with teammate Thomas Partey after a late incident during their Champions League triumph over Real Madrid.
Rice played a key role across both legs of the quarter-final tie, scoring twice in Arsenal’s dominant 3-0 home win and delivering another outstanding performance at the Bernabeu.
However, despite the team’s success, Rice was visibly annoyed when Partey picked up a needless yellow card just five minutes from full-time in the second leg. The booking came after Partey shoved former Arsenal loanee Dani Ceballos during a brief scuffle that also involved Antonio Rudiger—who escaped punishment despite appearing to stamp on an opponent earlier in the match.
Rice, who had his own yellow card wiped out by VAR after a penalty decision against him was overturned, understood the cost of Partey’s caution. The Ghanaian midfielder will now miss the first leg of the semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain due to suspension.
Goals from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli sealed a 2-1 second-leg win, completing an impressive 5-1 aggregate victory over defending champions Real Madrid. Vinicius Jr had briefly equalised after Saka’s goal, but it ultimately made little difference.
Rice was named Player of the Match in both legs and stood out as the driving force behind Arsenal’s progress. But with Partey now unavailable for the first leg against PSG, Rice’s anger at his teammate’s lapse in judgment was clear.
Despite the setback, Arsenal can take heart from PSG’s shaky performance in their second leg against Aston Villa. While the French side advanced 5-4 on aggregate, they lost 3-2 on the night and showed vulnerabilities Arsenal may look to exploit over the two legs.
Still, Rice’s frustration highlights how important every decision is at this stage of the competition—and how costly Partey’s yellow card could prove.
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