The Greatest European Comebacks in Real Madrid History

If there is anything that Real Madrid is well known for (apart from its constant success), it is their legendary European comebacks. The club’s “never give up” attitude has seen some epic and historical comebacks on the European stage. It did not matter what the score of the first leg would be, opposing teams knew the second leg in the Bernabéu would be 90 long minutes.

The “stadium factor” can at times be an overused cliché, but there was just something about playing the second leg at the Bernabéu that made the team transform, regardless of their current form.

Not many clubs have been able to overturn even the slightest first leg outcome, but Real Madrid has achieved it on several occasions and in epic style.

With all the remarkable come-from-behind victories, it got us thinking what are the greatest comebacks in the club’s European history? Here are the five greatest European comebacks in Real Madrid history.

5. Wolfsburg – 2016

In the 2015/2016 season, Real Madrid took on Wolfsburg in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Despite being favorites and taking on a side who were making their debut appearance in the competition, Los Blancos returned from the first leg encounter in Germany with a shocking 2-0 defeat and needed an absolutely stellar performance in the return leg if they wanted to go through.

In spite of the issues, the second leg got off to the ideal start as Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to equalize the aggregate scoreline by halftime. Then when it all looked like the game would go into extra time, Cristiano gave Real Madrid the lead on aggregate when his free kick found a space in the wall to beat the keeper. Cristiano’s hat-trick would see the Merengue club advance and would go on to win their 11th Champions League title that season.