Arsenal delivered the goods yet again in a big game, pushing past Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 to advance 3-1 on aggregate to the quarterfinals of the 2025/26 Champions League season.
Eberechi Eze was the man of the hour, scoring the go ahead goal in the tie in smashing fashion, volleying the goal home with absolute venom, reminding the world that he is one of the best ball strikers around.
Well, his midfield teammate Declan Rice, who is having a Player of the Season caliber year, certainly didn’t forget Eze’s shooting abilities, and he praised the former Crystal Palace man highly after the match.
Rice said of Eze, via Hand of Arsenal, “Eze has one of the best shots I have seen. Left foot Right foot. Unreal. Anywhere around that box, just give it Ebs. When you look at the season, we have only lost 3 games. Keep raising the level.”
Eze had scored five goals in two games against Tottenham Hotspur but was pretty quiet in his other matches. Now, Eze is showing signs of returning to stardom, and this big goal against Bayer Leverkusen could be the catalyst for the new Arsenal star No. 10.
This praise from Rice should be the words of encouragement Eze needs to feel ready to shoot more, be brave, go for goal, and play at an even higher level to help Arsenal close out this season with, they will hope, multiple trophies.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.