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Jakub Kiwior, we're sorry. That performance against Real Madrid will be remembered forever, even if others are getting the spotlight.
Predictions and foresight are huge parts of being a sports fan. However, making those predictions comes with the added baggage of potentially eating your own words. Right now, we must issue a public apology form to Fabio Canna- Sorry, I mean Jakub Kiwior.
The Poland international was thrown in the deep end, making his third appearance in the space of a week. Ever since Gabriel became injured, Kiwior has fulfilled an increased squad role and heading into this season, he wouldn't have expected to be starting against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
These were the cards he was dealt and he proved Arsenal fans, us included, wrong. The Poland international put in an exceptional performance, making the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo redundant.
Public apology to Jakub Kiwior after Arsenal vs Real Madrid
Understandably, Declan Rice has received all the flowers for inspiring Arsenal towards victory in the first leg. However, Rice's two free-kick goals would have counted for nothing if Arsenal's defence left behind gaps to exploit.
Real Madrid found themselves through on goal on only a few occasions. It could have been much worse if Jakub Kiwior and William Saliba didn't combine well to shut out the potent Madrid attackers. So, for that, we have to take off our virtual hats for Kiwior.
Wanna give massive props to Kiwior, he had his doubters but he's silenced them up with this performance
— ۟ (@Bxshhyy) April 8, 2025
Ending up with eggs on our faces after being sceptical about a player isn't a bad feeling. Kiwior proved a lot of us wrong, in the best possible way.
Jakub Kiwior appreciation post. 👏👏
— WelBeast (@WelBeast) April 8, 2025
Kiwior scored a high 8/10 in our Arsenal player ratings. It was more than fans could have asked of him and now, he can proudly put his feet up before the weekend, after etching his name onto the European stage.
Fun fact that you probably already knew: Arsenal has never lost against Real Madrid. Last night, though, Kiwior ensured that this run not only continued, but the run of Real Madrid never scoring against Arsenal continued too.