Real Madrid had a never-say-die spirit last season and bailed themselves out of quite a few tricky situations. A ‘Remontada’ was always on the cards, no matter the stage of play.
Things haven’t been particularly peachy for Real Madrid and its fans this season, to say the least.
They are 8 points behind Barcelona in La Liga, a gap which is more likely to widen than narrow as the season progresses. They suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur in their favorite competition, the Champions League.
More than the results, it’s the lack of fight, spirit, and motivation in the squad which is hurting the fans.
The pain is magnified because the fans know what their team is capable of, and what they have demonstrated in the last 2 seasons. Particularly in 2016/17.
Real were glorious last season – not because they were superior in every match in footballing terms – but in their mental strength.
They came from behind and won multiple times.
At no moment were they entirely out of any game. Such was the aura of Real Madrid last season, they always found a way.
None of that spirit is visible this year, it is quite the opposite rather, which has left the fans aggravated, flummoxed, and quite depressed. Enough has been said about what is ailing Madrid and how it can be fixed, so that will not be discussed further here.
This post is meant to give some joy to the loyal Madridistas who are struggling to support their team this season. And a reminder of what this bunch of players are capable of, once they regain their mojo. Below are the best Remontada moments of Real Madrid under Zinedine Zidane, in the view of the author.
Real Madrid vs. Wolfsburg: April 12th, 2016 – Champions League
Real Madrid was rejoicing when they drew Wolfsburg in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, and other teams were complaining that Los Blancos always get a lucky draw.
That is until Madrid delivered a nightmarish performance and lost 2-0 in Germany.
What happened in the return leg personifies the spirit of Real Madrid.
Chants of Remontada were across the media, throughout the Bernabéu, and in the players’ social media accounts. They believed, they vowed to fight back, and they did just that. Through their magician-in-chief, Cristiano Ronaldo.
The first goal was a bit lucky, but required poacher instincts. The second was a bullet header to the far post. The third took some time, with Madrid looking exhausted with all the effort they were putting in. But it was worth the wait.
Cristiano sealed it with a slow free-kick, sending the Bernabéu into a frenzy.
Their determination was palpable – during the pre-match interviews and every second they were on the pitch. And it was so strong that Wolfsburg had already lost the battle before they even took the field.
Real Madrid vs. FC Barcelona: April 2nd, 2016 – La Liga
It was all smooth sailing for Barca before El Clasico.
They were 10 points ahead of Madrid in April, which meant that La Liga was almost in the bag. They were also being touted as possibly the best club team in history, better than even Pep’s Barca, with ‘MSN’ in all their glory. While Madrid was languishing far behind.
However, they didn’t expect Madrid to take the fight to them in the manner that they did. Madrid defended with all their might, with Bale and Ronaldo often making tackles in their own half.
Barca drew first blood, and were 1-0 up in the second half. But, Real Madrid equalized soon after with a beautiful Benzema strike. Even when they were down to 10 men after a red card to Sergio Ramos, they still looked the more threatening side.
A Bale goal was unfairly ruled out for a supposed push to a defender. Barca breathed a sigh of relief, but Madrid continued to break in numbers. And they got the winner through their talisman again. Cristiano Ronaldo beat Javier Mascherano to Bale’s cross, controlled the ball on his chest, and calmly buried the ball in the back of the net.
And then he exploded, as did the rest of the team and the bench. For they had beaten the supposedly invincible Barca at their home. That also started a nervy La Liga run for Barcelona, as they barely managed to win with a point on the last day.
Real Madrid vs. Sporting Lisbon: September 14th, 2016 – Champions League
It was the first group-stage fixture for the defending champions, and it was at home. It was also a special night for Ronaldo since he was up against his former team. Such occasions usually bring out the best in him, and that night was no different.
Sporting Lisbon managed to hold on to their narrow 1-0 lead for 89 minutes, with Real Madrid squandering multiple chances.
When Sporting were already half-way to celebrating, Ronaldo decided that it was not to be. He equalized in the 89th minute with a wicked free-kick, breaking Sporting’s heart while doing so. His celebration was minimal, almost apologetic. But the Bernabéu exploded, as did the rest of the team.
When Sporting thought they will have to make do with 1 point, Alvaro Morata headed home a pin-point James cross in the 94th minute, just a few seconds before the final whistle. Sporting fans and players could not believe what happened – Madrid had literally snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
They proved what has been a long standing saying – 90 minutes at the Bernabéu is a very long time.
Real Madrid vs. Sevilla: January 12th, 2017 – Copa Del Rey
This was a high-octane match, with Sevilla out to exact revenge for the 3-0 humiliation in the first leg at the Bernabéu.
The ultras at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán also reserved a special treatment for their once prodigal son, Sergio Ramos. While winning the tie was not in question, Madrid had their unbeaten record to defend.
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Madrid conceded first in the worst way possible, with an own goal from Danilo. But, they equalized in the 48th minute with a lightning quick solo goal from Marco Asensio.
Sevilla still refused to throw in the towel. They needed 4 to win, and they got two of them, with 13 minutes still to go. Madrid’s unbeaten record looked to be ending.
Then came the penalty for Madrid in the 83rd minute, and Ramos stepped up to take it. The stadium erupted in abusive chants. Ramos converted, with a Panenka penalty, which infuriated the fans even more. Madrid were firmly in control of the tie then but were still down 3-2 on the night.
They came up with another last-second miracle.
It was Karim Benzema this time.
He took on a slew of players on the attack and scored the equalizer in the 93rd minute, with 10 seconds to go before the final whistle. The match was drawn, and the unbeaten record was intact.
Real Madrid had found a way, yet again.
Real Madrid vs. Deportivo La Coruna: December 10th, 2016 – La Liga
It was the last league match before Madrid was to head off to the FIFA Club World Cup.
Zidane had again made a slew of rotations, leaving Ronaldo watching from the stands. He had shot himself in the foot on quite a few occasions with his rotations, but his squad always, invariably, bailed him out.
Real Madrid struggled to open the scoring in the first half, but scored early in the second half with an instinctive Morata strike. They were still edgy though, and La Coruna capitalized on two quick mistakes from Casemiro and Ramos.
They scored 2 goals in 3 minutes, leaving the home crowd dumbstruck and Ronaldo in agony in the stands.
But, the squad rose to the challenge again. Madrid continued to build pressure, resulting in a Mariano equalizer in the 84th minute from a pin-point cross. A remontada was again on the cards, and the Bernabéu egged the team on.
The next few minutes were frantic, with Madrid camping in the opposition half. They threw everything at Coruna, and got a corner in the 92nd minute.
And it was that man again, Sergio Ramos, who popped up with a header. The fans were singing for him to score, and he did. Morata wondered after the match how Ramos keeps doing it all the time. We all wondered too.
While it was Ramos who scored, there is an image of Marcelo which symbolized the back-bone and fight in that team.
Could the glory days come back?
These were just a few of the numerous stellar come-backs that Real Madrid managed to secure under Zidane. Quite a few others come to mind:
- Club World Cup Final, 2016
- Against Villareal in La Liga after going 2-0 down
- Against Rayo Vallecano in La Liga after going 2-0 down
- Equalizing in the last few minutes against Barcelona at Camp Nou
- Against Napoli and Dortmund in the Champions League
- Against Bayern Munich, both legs, in the Champions League
A statement by a commentator in the La Coruna match still resonates with me, “this is a team of superstars, but they have a strong back-bone. They just refuse to accept defeat, to give up, at any point.”
And that is what Real Madrid stood for, especially in 2016/17. The aura of invincibility was palpable. Which is what makes the current performances all the more painful for the fans. There is still some hope left though, Madridistas are anxiously hoping for the team to re-gain their mojo.
Next: Could Juan Mata return to Real Madrid in January?