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.
4. Bayern Munich – 2002
Another quarterfinal encounter against a German opposition came Real Madrid way in the 2001/2002 season. However, on this occasion, it would be their historic European rival, Bayern Munich, that stood in the way. In the first leg, despite Real Madrid opening the scoring, Bayern overturned the result to the win 2-1 in Munich.
The much-anticipated return leg was surrounded by tension after the post-match comments of some of the Bayern players where Oliver Kahn called Real Madrid’s performance “arrogant” and Hasan Salihamidzic said, “they nearly crapped their pants.” After a calm first half, the game completely opened up in the second half with Real Madrid throwing everything forward and eventually scoring the go-ahead goal through Ivan Helguera. Later on, Guti would score a second, giving Real Madrid a 2-0 victory and seeing them through. They would then eliminate Barcelona in the semifinals and beat Bayer Leverkusen in the final to claim their 9th Champions League title.
3. Inter Milan – 1985
In the 1984/1985 season, Real Madrid found themselves playing the UEFA Cup (old version of the Europa League); reaching the semifinals of the competition where they took on Inter Milan. Despite being equally matched, the first leg did not go at all as planned as they left the San Siro with a 3-1 defeat.
However, 90 minutes in the Bernabéu turned out to be too long for the Nerazzurri as Real Madrid overturned the result and would go on to comfortably win by a 3-0 scoreline. With that, Real reached the final where they would win their first UEFA Cup title.
2. Derby County – 1975
The first epic European comeback occurred in 1975 when Real Madrid took on Derby County in the old European Cup. Things were much different for Derby County during that period. In that era, they were reigning English league champions and showcased their quality in the first leg hammering Real Madrid by a 4-1 scoreline.
Back then, this was uncharted territory for Madrid, and overturning such a large deficit looked very unlikely. However, in spite of the uncertainty, they managed to level the tie and sent the game into extra time where Santillana would score the only goal to win 5-1 and see Los Blancos through. A victory that would be the first of many European comebacks to come.
1. Borussia Mönchengladbach – 1985
The biggest and most remarkable comeback in club history came in the 1985/1986 UEFA Cup edition when Real Madrid took on Borussia Mönchengladbach. Real were defending champions and taking part again in the tournament as they looked to win consecutive UEFA Cup titles. However, the first leg went far from expected as they got completely dismantled, which saw the Germans win by a 5-1 scoreline. For most teams, overturning such a large deficit would be an almost impossible task, but Real Madrid are a club known for making the impossible look easy.
Madrid got off to the ideal start in the return leg and entered the halftime break leading 2-0 with both goals scored by Jorge Valdano. In the second half, Santillana made it 3-0, but they were not playing with the same tempo as they previously did and were struggling to create chances. Then when it looked like Mönchengladbach would hold off, Santillana scored the vital go-ahead goal in the 89th minute to seal a historic come from behind victory. A triumph that would prove to be significant as Real Madrid would their second consecutive UEFA Cup title.