Arsenal Beat Leverkusen 2-0 to Reach Champions League Quarterfinals

Arsenal secured a commanding 2-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen at the Emirates Stadium on March 17, 2026.

“Declan Rice is called "The Horse" by his Arsenal team-mates and his performance in the 2-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen again showed why he has more than earned that nickname”

BBC

The Gunners dominated proceedings throughout the match, showcasing their superiority over the German side.

BBC

Leverkusen appeared pale and lacked solutions to pierce Arsenal's well-organized defense.

The victory saved the pride of English clubs following Chelsea's humiliation by PSG and Manchester City's failure to overturn Real Madrid's lead.

Arsenal's performance marked their third consecutive season reaching the Champions League quarterfinals.

The breakthrough goal came in the 36th minute through a stunning strike from Eberechi Eze.

Eze's exceptional goal capitalized on a Leverkusen defensive error after a high recovery by Piero Hincapié.

France 24

Leandro Trossard combined with Declan Eze before the English attacker controlled with his left foot.

Eze struck powerfully with his right-footed shot in a perfectly balanced and powerful manner.

The ball beat Leverkusen goalkeeper Janis Blaswich, who had been making several outstanding saves.

This goal initiated a sustained 20-minute period of intense pressing on Blaswich's goal.

Declan Rice provided the decisive second goal in the 63rd minute, sealing Arsenal's passage to the quarterfinals.

“After an unbelievable 1-1 draw, Arsenal secured their qualification for the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday, March 17, 2026”

Ouest-France

The England international capitalized on a poor clearance from Leverkusen's Alejandro Grimaldo.

Rice intercepted the ball 30 meters from goal and controlled possession.

He curled a low shot from just inside the area that Blaswich could not reach.

This goal came after Arsenal weathered Leverkusen's occasional attacking threats.

Leverkusen's Christian Kofane troubled Arsenal's central defensive pairing of William Saliba and Gabriel.

Rice's goal continued his impressive scoring form from distance.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta praised his team's collective performance and fighting spirit.

Arteta described Rice and Martin Zubimendi as the 'soul of the team'.

France 24

The Spanish coach highlighted the remarkable passion and commitment shown by his players.

He noted the difficulty of maintaining intensity while playing every three days at the highest level.

Former Arsenal defender Matt Upson called Rice 'an absolute machine' on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Upson praised Rice's consistent performances across nearly every match.

Arteta's side sits nine points clear in the Premier League while contending for three major trophies.

The victory represented Arsenal's continued dominance across multiple competitions.

“C1: le bijou d'Eze envoie Arsenal en quarts contre le Sporting Londres (AFP) – Arsenal s'est logiquement imposé mardi soir à domicile contre le Bayer Leverkusen (2-0), grâce notamment à un superbe but d'Eberechi Eze, et poursuit son chemin en quarts de finale de la Ligue des champions, où il affrontera le Sporting”

France 24

It marked their pursuit of ending a six-year trophy drought.

BBC

With the Champions League quarterfinals secured, they remain in contention for the FA Cup.

Arsenal faces Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.

Arteta's team has shown ability to rotate players without sacrificing quality.

Their progression sets up an intriguing knockout stage alongside Paris, Real Madrid, Liverpool.

They look to build on impressive form and end their trophy drought.