Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham made an honest admission about his team's performance against Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League. Los Blancos suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Gunners in the first leg of their quarter-final tie at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, April 8.The north Londoners imposed themselves on the game, keeping more of the ball (54%) and creating better opportunities. During an interview after the match, Bellingham said (via @MadridXtra):"We’re lucky we only got away with 3 goals."Declan Rice opened the scoring in this tie with a wonderful free-kick that curled around the wall to find the net in the 58th minute. The England international remarkably scored another free-kick 12 minutes later, this time rifling his effort into the top right corner.Five minutes later, Mikel Merino scored Arsenal's third, a sweetly struck grounded effort that found the bottom left corner. The Gunners managed 12 shots to Real Madrid's nine, with the north Londoners hitting the target 11 times, eight more than their opponents.Despite the overwhelming advantage that Mikel Arteta's side holds, they will be aware of the threat that Real Madrid possess at the Santiago Bernabeu. The second leg of the quarter-final is scheduled for Wednesday, April 16.Declan Rice reveals original plan for first free-kick in Arsenal v Real MadridDeclan RiceAfter the match, Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice stated that the original plan was to cross the ball into the box when he scored the first free-kick against Real Madrid in the quarter-final.However, the goalkeeper's positioning, which was slightly central, convinced him to hit it directly. Speaking in an interview with Amazon Prime after the game, Rice said (via Express):"It's been in the locker, but I've hit the wall too many times or it's gone over the bar. Originally we were going to cross it and then I've just seen the wall and the goalkeeper's position. So I thought just go for it. And Bukayo [Saka] said to just feel it."Rice has been a key part of set-piece situations for Arsenal, taking corners from the left flank and free-kicks. Overall, he's made 43 appearances across competitions this campaign, bagging seven goals and eight assists.