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Following the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, looking back at Real Madrid's Champions League history, the progression scenario of the two-legged tie remains open. Currently trailing 1-2, Real Madrid “should never be underestimated.”
After Real Madrid lost 1-2 to Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabéu in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night, head coach Álvaro Arbeloa immediately told Spanish TV channel Movistar: “We are certainly not out of this tie yet.”
In the first half, Real Madrid's poor defensive performance was repeatedly punished by brilliant goals from Bayern players Brahim Díaz and Harry Kane. The Bundesliga giants had the opportunity to extend their lead, coming close to completely breaking down Real Madrid's disorganized defense at one point. However, Kylian Mbappé's goal allowed the team to head to the second leg in Munich next Wednesday with only a one-goal deficit.
After all, this is Real Madrid, a giant club that has lifted the Champions League trophy 15 times. Relying on this heritage, Arbeloa firmly believes the team still has a chance to mount a comeback. Arbeloa said: “We only need one goal to level the aggregate score, and we have the ability to win at any stadium. If we were trailing 0-2, staging a comeback would be extremely difficult, and remaining calm in this situation is no easy task, but we are confident of putting on a great performance away from home.”
Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger also told Movistar that despite the team being in a difficult situation, they still firmly believe they can break through: “Both of our goals conceded came from our own mistakes, but fortunately Mbappé pulled one back—we are still 'alive' and always hold the belief of advancing.”
Considering that Real Madrid's defensive line has been problematic since Xabi Alonso's short coaching period and even during predecessor Carlo Ancelotti's tenure, there is little chance of a significant improvement in the team's defense in the second leg. Nevertheless, even though Bayern outperformed them for most of the 90 minutes, Real Madrid's star-studded attack continuously created opportunities, trying to turn the tide of the game. Vinícius Júnior had a poor night, Mbappé also missed several scoring chances, and even in the 95th minute, Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde were still fighting hard to create opportunities on the edge of Bayern's penalty area.
Since taking over as Real Madrid coach in January, replacing Alonso, Arbeloa has repeatedly mentioned the team's comeback legends in the Champions League. Simply because in this competition, the team's heritage and individual inspiration of star players have repeatedly overcome rational deduction and exquisite tactics. The young coach lacks experience in managing top-level competitions, and the current team's lineup balance is insufficient, so it is reasonable for him to repeatedly emphasize this Champions League tradition.
Real Madrid's defensive vulnerabilities and tactical chaos are likely to be targeted by Bayern again next week. Additionally, with defensive midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni suspended for the second leg due to picking up a yellow card in the first leg, the team's situation has become increasingly difficult. But Real Madrid has long proven that as long as they possess talented superstars in the forward line, anything is possible. Mbappé is the top scorer in this season's Champions League with 14 goals in 10 matches. Vinícius Júnior is expected to find his scoring touch in Bavaria, and Bellingham has recovered from a hamstring injury.
Or perhaps another unexpected hero will step forward. Just like in the Champions League semi-final between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich two years ago, Real Madrid was trailing by one goal on aggregate and looked set to be eliminated as the second leg drew to a close. At that time, 36-year-old substitute striker Joselu came on and scored twice in three minutes, helping Real Madrid advance to the final, where they eventually defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-0 to lift the trophy for the 15th time in the club's history.
Throughout Real Madrid's history, there have been countless such comeback stories. However, objectively speaking, most of their classic comebacks were completed in the second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu—with players and fans working together, the momentum generated was enough to crush opponents. This time, the second leg moves to Germany, and the home advantage is gone. From a rational perspective, Bayern players possess sufficient experience, talent, and fighting spirit, and should hold on to their advantage to advance. Real Madrid's Champions League miracles do not happen every season; last season, with the same star-studded attack and the same defensive vulnerabilities, the team was eliminated in the quarter-finals with an aggregate score of 1-5 against Arsenal.
In the Champions League, rational predictions often fail when it comes to Real Madrid. Even new signings who have just arrived at the Santiago Bernabéu quickly become familiar with the team's glorious history in this competition and regain confidence in seemingly desperate situations. Defender Trent Alexander-Arnold said: “We scored a crucial goal, and this series is only halfway through—anything is possible, especially for Real Madrid in the Champions League. Now we must travel away from home, score more than one goal, and our ultimate goal is to lift the Champions League trophy.”
Based on their performance in the first leg, it is not impossible for Real Madrid to score more than one goal in Munich. Arbeloa's team had 20 shots throughout the match, with Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer making 9 saves—4 of which denied Mbappé and 3 blocked Vinícius Júnior's shots. At the post-match press conference, when asked about Neuer's outstanding performance, Arbeloa once again showed the team's unyielding belief, stating that this tie is far from over: “This precisely shows that we have the ability to pose a threat to them, and we will learn lessons from this match. We did not have much preparation time, while Bayern's lineup is more cohesive and has had longer to gel. Anyone who does not believe the team can stage a comeback can stay in Madrid—my players all possess iron will. The first thing I said in the dressing room was that we will win in Munich.”
