Real Madrid's Champions League Elimination Stuns WF Fans as Arsenal Reaches Semis

Real Madrid is mortal in Europe after all.

The Spanish giant saw its UEFA Champions League title defense come to an end Wednesday night at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Arsenal won 2-1 to advance by a 5-1 aggregate score.

It's the first time since the 2019-20 season Madrid failed to reach the UCL semifinals.

Madridistas might've thought the stars were starting to align after referee François Letexier awarded a contentious penalty to Arsenal in the 11th minute. Another tally for the Gunners surely would've removed any doubt about the final result. Instead, Thibaut Courtois saved Bukayo Saka effort from the spot.

Then a lifeline seemingly arrived in the form of a penalty to Madrid for a foul on Kylian Mbappé. Following a lengthy review, however, the French star was deemed to be offside.

The final decision came down in the 27th minute, so there was still plenty of time for Real Madrid to make things interesting. The air kind of went out of the Bernabéu when the penalty was wiped out, though.

Through the years, Real Madrid has consistently risen to the occasion in the Champions League. Regardless of how it was performing domestically or how disjointed it looked on the pitch, the legendary club always found a way.

The luck ran out Wednesday as Madrid couldn't overcome what have been some glaring deficiencies this season.

With Real Madrid now out of the Champions League, the fate of manager Carlo Ancelotti may rest squarely on where it finishes in La Liga. Los Blancos trail bitter rivals Barcelona by four points with seven matches to play.

Should they come up short, that could be the final nail in Ancelotti's coffin because past success matters little in the eyes of president Florentino Pérez.

Even if Real Madrid go on to lift another league title, going out in the UCL quarters means this season is likely to be viewed as a disappointment in the Spanish capital.