Which Rice free-kick was better? Arsenal fans and experts pick their favourite ...Middle East

Rice had gone over 400 career games without scoring a single free-kick before thumping two past Thibaut Courtois to propel Arsenal to a famous night against the mighty Real Madrid. Talk about picking your moments.

The whip on the first was absurd, with the ball sent careering way outside the width of the posts before veering dramatically back inside them just in time. As for the second, Rice hit that sweet spot between power and accuracy to perfection, rattling the ball into the top corner. It flew in like a rocket.

“They are magic moments that are going to sit with me forever. A really, really special night.”

If you somehow missed the goals, sit back and enjoy them below:

Declan Rice hit TWO worldie free-kicks vs Real Madrid

So nice he did it twice pic.twitter.com/zg5CzlQQNh

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 8, 2025

So which one was better? The i Paper canvassed a variety of opinions from pundits, fans and experts to try and reach a conclusion.

You just can’t beat a ‘postage stamp’ free kick in my opinion, so Declan’s second strike – a hit of absolute perfection – is just my favourite of the two. The way he committed to striking the ball as hard as possible, but doing so with such extraordinary precision, was simply flawless. No keeper on the planet would have saved it.

Verdict: Second

Roberto Carlos was in attendance at the Emirates (Photo: Getty)

The ex-Gunner

I think I preferred the second one. The first one, as brilliantly executed as it was, you could see that Courtois hadn’t lined the wall up properly. I think he gave Declan Rice a big gap to try and bend it around which he did. The execution was first class.

I think it’s up there – and I know I’m a biased Gooner! – as one of the greatest free-kicks I’ve ever seen. The first one, the stadium erupted, but the second was more of a gasp of disbelief.

Meirion Yusuf-George, North Bank stand

Watching it dip into the top corner on the keeper’s side – it couldn’t have been more in the corner. It’s a goal I’ll remember for years.

The street artist

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Northbanksy, Arsenal fan and street artist famous for his murals outside the Emirates

If you listen to a lot of pundits they’ll tell you Arsenal supposedly don’t have game changers in this squad. As Rice was lining up to take it my son said, “You know, I think he is going to go direct on this one”.

Verdict: First

They’re both stunning free-kicks but the first one stands out for me. The second was certainly more aesthetically pleasing because it flew into the top corner but the curve and velocity on the strike for the first was poetry in motion. Beautiful, beautiful goal.

The free-kick specialist

Bartek Sylwestrzak, specialist ball-striking coach who has worked with Brentford and players from Europe’s top five leagues

Arsenal did well to put a wall of their players in front of him to obstruct his view and this could explain why Courtois’ reaction was slow.

Verdict: Second

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