‘Jude Bellingham angers Arsenal players with behaviour in Real Madrid loss’
Jude Bellingham endured a difficult night for Real Madrid in the Champions League against Arsenal, and some of the Gunners squad were not impressed with his antics either.
The two sides went head to head at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night (8 April) in the first leg of their quarter final clash.
It proved to be an unforgettable evening for the home side, with Arsenal running out 3-0 winners over Real Madrid to take firm control of the tie.
Declan Rice was the hero for Arsenal with two stunning free kicks, before Mikel Merino applied an excellent finish of his own to seal the win.
By contrast, it was a more frustrating night for Real Madrid‘s own England international, something that some of his opponents appeared to bear the brunt of.
Jude Bellingham takes aim in Real Madrid
As the Spanish champions struggled to make the breakthrough against a resilient home side, Bellingham was one player who struggled to pose much of a threat.
With things not always going his way, the annoyance seemingly began to grow for the 21-year-old, as he went in with some heavy challenges on his opponent.
One player who found himself on the end of that was Martin Odegaard, with the Gunners captain being caught not once but twice by the England international in the same incident.
| Jude Bellingham vs Arsenal | Total (as per WhoScored) |
| Shots | 1 |
| Pass Success Rate | 90% |
| Key Passes | 2 |
| Dribbles | 2 |
| Tackles | 1 |
| Fouls | 1 |
That seemingly did not go down too well with the Arsenal squad, with a report from The Independent stating that several Gunners players became “aggravated” with Bellingham over how he approached certain challenges.
Despite that, the Real Madrid ace managed to avoid picking up a card during the course of the match. As a result, he is due to be available when the two teams meet again for the second leg at the Bernabeu next Wednesday (16 April).
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Football Insider Verdict
Speaking ahead of the game, Wayne Rooney revealed he had been surprised at not receiving an apology from Bellingham for some of his challenges when the two played against each other.
As a result, it should perhaps not be a huge surprise that some Arsenal players felt the ruthless nature of the 21-year-old during this match.
While Bellingham recently avoided a red card for England after some heavy challenges, and so as this comes closer into the public eye, he may have to be careful to avoid future punishment.
It is also worth noting that several of those on the pitch for the Gunners such as Rice, Bukayo Saka and Myles Lewis-Skelly are teammates with the Real Madrid man at international level.
So after the frustrations that appear to have developed during this game, that could make for a slightly awkward encounter when they meet up with England in the future.
The second leg prior to that is something that Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel, along with many others, may want to keep an eye on.