Featured Image Credit: Ziggo Sport
Topics: Wesley Sneijder, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Champions League, Declan Rice
Jack Kenmare
Topics: Wesley Sneijder, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Champions League, Declan Rice
Unlike the majority of viewers watching at home, Wesley Sneijder was left unimpressed by Declan Rice's free-kick heroics on Wednesday night as Arsenal recorded an emphatic 3-0 win over Real Madrid.
Rice became the first player in Champions League history to score two direct free-kick goals in a knockout stage game – a headline-grabbing achievement that was naturally the talk of social media.
It was a moment he would later describe as being the best in his career to date, and who can blame him. The midfielder had previously gone 338 games without scoring a free-kick before netting two in the space of 12 minutes.
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But despite the overwhelmingly positive response, former Netherlands international Wesley Sneijder brought Rice back down to earth with his post-match analysis.
Speaking in the Ziggo Sport studio, Sneijder blamed the Real Madrid wall before playing down the technique of Rice's first free-kick.
"The wall wasn’t positioned properly for the first goal,” he said. "A right-footed player should never be able to shoot around the wall from that angle. That shouldn't be allowed."
"It seems a bit crazy what I'm going to say now," Sneijder added.
"It seems very difficult, but for a right-footed player this is very easy. If you have a good kick, then this is a very easy goal. When you are on the field, you see that the ball has to go around the wall on that side. The wall was too far to the left."
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Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who was sat alongside Sneijder in the studio, agreed with his fellow pundit. "I think Wesley is right," he said. "You can see that the wall is too far to the left, which makes it easy for him to shoot past that wall. That's right."
Sneijder proceeded to criticise Thibaut Courtois' positioning for the second free-kick goal.
“I also want to make a side note about this goal," he added. "It is from a great distance. You see Courtois take a step to the right, which means he has no chance in his own corner. This is due to the uncertainty of the first goal."
Clarence Seedorf, who was on punditry duty for Amazon Prime alongside Cesc Fabregas, Wayne Rooney and Daniel Sturridge, also made a comment about Real Madrid's wall but the former Los Blancos midfielder was also complimentary of Rice and his pinpoint accuracy.
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"Rice read it well, he saw the space, but Courtois put up a bad screen," said Seedorf.
"Only four players, too much space but you still have to shoot it well. You have to give him credit for reading it and taking advantage of it. The confidence he had in the free kick a moment before, where he put that ball."
Thoughts on Sneijder's comments? Let us know in the comments.