Arsenal and Inter Milan booked their places in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday after strong performances in the second legs of their respective quarter-final ties.

At the Santiago Bernabeu, Arsenal extinguished any hopes of a Real Madrid comeback with a 2-1 win, completing a commanding 5-1 aggregate victory. Bukayo Saka’s second-half strike effectively sealed the outcome before Gabriel Martinelli added a stoppage-time goal to underline Arsenal’s dominance across both legs. Vinicius Junior briefly gave Real hope with a goal following a rare defensive lapse, but it was not enough to revive the holders’ campaign.

The result marks Arsenal’s first appearance in the Champions League semi-finals since 2009. Declan Rice, whose two free kicks in the first leg set the tone, described it as a “historic night” for the club. Despite Real Madrid’s reputation for dramatic European comebacks, they were largely outplayed over two legs.

The match saw moments of controversy, including a missed penalty by Saka and a penalty initially awarded to Kylian Mbappe that was overturned after a VAR review. Arsenal maintained composure throughout, limiting Real Madrid’s attacking threats and keeping goalkeeper David Raya largely untested in the first half.

In the other quarter-final clash, Inter Milan progressed after a thrilling 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich at the San Siro, advancing 4-3 on aggregate. The Italians will meet Barcelona in the semi-finals—a repeat of their 2010 encounter, where Inter triumphed en route to a historic treble.

Bayern, trailing 2-1 from the first leg, started aggressively. Harry Kane gave the visitors a lifeline with his 11th goal of the competition, but Inter responded quickly through Lautaro Martinez, who converted after his initial header rebounded off Joshua Kimmich.

Matteo Darmian came close before Benjamin Pavard’s powerful header gave Inter a 2-1 lead on the night. Bayern fought back once more, leveling with a fortunate goal from Eric Dier, whose intended cross looped into the net. Despite late pressure, Inter held firm, with goalkeeper Yann Sommer making a crucial save from Thomas Mueller in added time.

For the first time, Bayern failed to win an away game against Inter in the Champions League and were eliminated despite their attacking intent.