The 26-year-old Arsenal star hadn't scored a single free-kick in 12 attempts before Tuesday's (08.04.25) 3-0 win over Real Madrid, but he scored two within 13 minutes, making history as the first player to net two in a CL knockout game.

Speaking after the match, he told Amazon Prime: "I don't know whether it will ever sink in. I've gone back to my phone then and it's gone crazy.

"To score my first free-kick in a game is a special one. And then when I got the second one... I just had the confidence.

"I'm speechless really. I don't think it's going to hit me, what I've done tonight. It's a historic night."

Rice took over from usual free-kick takers Bukayo Saka or Gunners captain Martin Odegaard, after he saw some space and told the former that he was confident.

He added: "It didn't make sense from that angle to cross the ball [which Arsenal's set-piece coach Nicolas Jover was signalling to do on the touchline].

"It would have to be a delicate pass. I'm happy I took it because it was magic."

Despite the 3-0 win from the first leg, Rice insisted Arsenal can't be overconfident going into the return match at the Bernabeu.

In 2022, Real were losing 5-3 on aggregate and still managed to go through.

Rice said: "To beat Real Madrid in this competition - it's a big night for us.

"But even if we're 3-0 up, the individual quality they have is scary. At the Bernabeu special things happen for them.

"We want to win this competition, but we have to take it one game at a time."