The 2-1 win meant Real reached the quarterfinals 5-1 on aggregate. Vinicius Jr struck twice, once from the penalty spot after City captain Bernardo Silva was sent off for a deliberate hand-ball.
Arbeloa declared afterwards: "It’s the players who have turned this situation around with their performance, attitude, effort, talent, and quality.
"Winning as we have today is not easy in such a challenging tie against a team like this, with so many talented players, a deep squad, and a coach like the one we faced. Very few people would have said that we would win both matches, so thanks to the players’ work, they deserve it for how they are working and the effort they are putting in.
“I don’t think it has been anything different from what I’ve been doing these past two months, which is working and trying to get the best performance out of my players, ensuring they feel comfortable on the pitch, finding the best position for each one, being a very balanced and united team, and having everyone sacrifice and work together.
"The players have perfectly understood that to defeat anyone, we must be a great team, very united in effort and work.”
On how the team performed overall, Arbeloa was particularly pleased.
He also said, “They have the talent, and adding that talent to a collective mentality to be clear about what needed to be done with the ball is very important for us. They have done well and understood it well. It was a great tie, allowing us to be in the next round and nothing more.
"Happy with the performance but knowing this continues, and after the next setback, doubts will surely arise again—not from us, but externally, which is something we can’t control. We are very focused on how we are working internally, and that’s what’s important.”