The biggest Real Madrid comebacks in the Champions League and European Cup | OneFootball

No team does comebacks in the Uefa Champions League like Real Madrid.

It’s become a hallmark of many of their recent runs to glory in the competition, going behind only to rise from the dead to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

But it’s also been the case historically; they have successfully come back from at least two goals down in the first leg of a European knockout tie on nine occasions, more than any other club.

Real will be aiming to make that ten on Wednesday night when they welcome Arsenal to the Bernabeu. The Gunners hold a three-goal advantage from the opening leg after they humbled their illustrious guests in north London last week, but the Spanish giants will believe they can still turn it around until the final whistle.

Should they do so, they will join a very exclusive club of teams. According to Opta, there have been 47 instances of a team leading by three or more goals going into a Champions League tie and it has only been overturned four times.

Here are the biggest deficits Real have managed to come back from in the history of the Europe’s premier club competition from which they can take inspiration.

The biggest Real Madrid comebacks in the Champions League and European Cup

Real Madrid 6-5 Derby County, second round, 1975/76

First leg: Derby County 4-1 Real Madrid.

Second leg: Real Madrid 5-1 Derby County.

Given their current plight as a Championship side trying to stave off relegation, it’s hard to envisage Derby as one of the top sides in England and indeed Europe. But Brian Clough transformed the Midlands outfit in the seventies to lead them to a first First Division title in their history. The following season they reached the semi-finals of the European Cup, losing to Juventus in suspicious circumstances.

They didn’t return to the competition until 1975 when they won the league title again, this time under Dave Mackay. After defeating Slovan Bratislava in the first round they were handed a nightmare draw against Real, but they brushed aside the then six-time winners in with a 4-1 first-leg victory at the Baseball Ground.

It took just two minutes for Los Blancos to score at the Bernabeu to get the comeback going, and by the 55th minute they were 3-0 up and winning on away goals. Charlie George, who grabbed a hat-trick in the home win, scored to put the Rams back in the lead on aggregate. However, Pirri found the net late on to send the game to extra time. Santillana went on to score the goal that ultimately secured progression to the next round for the hosts.

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Real Madrid 3-2 Celtic, quarter-final, 1979/80

First leg: Celtic 2-0 Real Madrid

Second leg: Real Madrid 3-0 Celtic

When these two clubs met for the first time in 1980, Celtic had won the European Cup more recently than Real. The Scottish side set themselves up well for another tilt at the trophy when they won 2-0 at Parkhead.

Just like against Derby a few years earlier Real were level on aggregate by the 55th minute, with the goals coming from Isidro Diaz and Juanito. When they needed a late winner it was that man again, Santillana, who stepped up with five minutes left on the clock.

Read – Arteta leads bizarre Arsenal training session ahead of Real Madrid trip

Real Madrid 4-4 Red Star Belgrade, quarter-final, 1986/87

First leg: Red Star 4-2 Real Madrid

Second leg: Real Madrid 2-0 Red Star

The only encounter between Real and Red Star Belgrade, or Crvena Zvezda, resulted in an enthralling first leg in which the Serbians raced into a commanding 3-0 lead by halftime. But Mexican striker Hugo Sanchez grabbed a second-half brace either side of a Milan Jankovic goal to keep the tie competitive.

An early goal at home set Los Meringues on their way and they inevitably scored a second on the hour mark to win on away goals.

Read – The greatest comebacks in Champions League history

Real Madrid 3-2 Wolfsburg, quarter-final, 2015/16

First leg: Wolfsburg 2-0 Real Madrid

Second leg: Real Madrid 3-0 Wolfsburg

Wolfsburg surprised many by reaching the Champions League quarter-finals in 2016 and they completely shocked everyone by beating the 2014 winners by two goals without reply at home. At that point, no one had ever come back from a 2-0 defeat in the first leg of a Champions League knockout tie on the road, which is a testament to how important away goals were before Uefa scrapped them.

Enter: Cristiano Ronaldo. It didn’t take long for the Portuguese forward to find his mark at the Bernabeu, opening the scoring in the 15th minute. Moments later he got his second to level the tie on aggregate. The former Manchester United star made everyone wait for the unavoidable winner, but in the 77th minute he fired in a rare free-kick to send Real to a third consecutive semi-final.

They would go on to win their second Champions League in three years and the first of a three-peat under manager Zinedine Zidane.

Read – Arsenal showdown is ‘a night that’s made for Real Madrid’

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