Victories against PSG, Chelsea, Man City, Bayern and Dortmund have made comebacks a habit for Carlo Ancelotti’s team in the Champions League.
Round of 16 of the 2021-2022 Champions League. The first leg at PSG’s Parc des Princes, Real Madrid lost 0-1. Kylian Mbappe (left) scored the only goal with a breakthrough into the penalty area in the 90+4 minute.
In the second leg at the Bernabeu, Mbappe continued to shine. In the 34th minute, the French striker shot into the near corner to raise the final score to 2-0.
However, Real still patiently waited for the opportunity to counterattack and exploit the opponent’s mistakes. In the 61st minute, after goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma lost the ball in the PSG penalty area, Vinicius passed the ball to Karim Benzema (left) to score the first goal.
PSG still had a one-goal advantage, but kept pushing forward and fell into Real’s counter-attack trap. In the 76th minute, Luka Modric passed the ball to Benzema to shoot diagonally to tie the score at 2-2. Two minutes later, taking advantage of a careless clearance by centre-back Marquinhos, the French striker scored a one-touch shot to complete his hat-trick, bringing a 3-2 victory to Real.
Champions League 2021-2022 quarter-finals. Immediately after the comeback against PSG, Benzema continued to score a hat-trick, helping Real beat Chelsea 3-1 in the first leg of the quarter-finals.
However, with three goals from Mason Mount, Antonio Rudiger and Timo Werner in the first 75 minutes of the second leg, Chelsea led 4-3 on aggregate. If this score was maintained until the end of the match, the English team would have advanced to the semi-finals.
In a difficult situation, Real once again showed their mettle. In the 80th minute, Modric passed the ball with the outside of his right foot to Rodrygo to tie the score at 4-4. The two teams had to play extra time and in the 96th minute, Vinicius crossed for Benzema to head the ball in to seal the 5-4 victory.
Champions League 2021-2022 semi-finals. First leg at home, Man City beat Real Madrid 4-3.
The English side continued to lead in the second leg at the Bernabeu with Riyad Mahrez curling a shot into the near post in the 73rd minute. Had Ferland Mendy not saved on the line in the 87th minute, Man City could have led 6-3 on aggregate.
At the time Man City were two goals ahead and there were only a few minutes left in the match, even the most optimistic Real fans probably did not believe in victory.
However, everything after that happened like a miracle. In the 90th minute, Rodrygo tapped in from Benzema’s cross to reduce the final score to 4-5. A minute later, the Brazilian striker continued to shine, heading in the equalizer for Real.
Entering extra time, the Spanish team exploited their psychological advantage well. In the 95th minute, Benzema earned a penalty and successfully kicked it himself to seal the 6-5 victory.
Champions League 2023-2024 semi-finals. In the first leg at home, Bayern drew 2-2 with Real. The German team continued to prove to be a tough opponent in the second leg. In the 68th minute, Alphonso Davies curled the ball with his right foot to increase the final score to 3-2 for Bayern.
If Bayern had successfully defended their lead, Real would have been eliminated. However, the Spanish team once again made their opponents surrender with their spirit.
In the 88th minute, taking advantage of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer’s failed catch, Joselu swooped in to score the equalizer, tying the score at 3-3. Not giving his opponent time to recover, in the 90+1 minute, Real’s substitute striker continued to score after a cross from the left wing, sealing a 4-3 victory.
Champions League group stage 2024-2025. Yesterday, Dortmund caused a surprise when they led Real 2-0 in the first half of the match at the Bernabeu. Donyell Malen opened the scoring with a shot into the near corner in the 30th minute, before crossing low for Jamie Bynoe-Gittens to double the lead four minutes later.