Real Madrid has won all but one of their last 23 Champions League ties when winning first leg, except this one
Real Madrid host Benfica in the second leg of the Champions League playoff eyeing the Round of 16 while hoping to keep an incredible streak alive.
Real Madrid return to the Bernabeu tonight for a second leg fixture against a Benfica side looking to stun Los Blancos in the Spanish capital. Coming back against Madrid in the Champions Leauge is rarely done and doing it under their own roof is almost unheard of, unless you are Ajax.
Ajax stunner in the Bernabeu
The dutch Giants were the last team this century to have beaten Los Blancos in a two legged tie after losing the first match. To make it even more amazing, they did so winning the second leg in Madrid.
It was the 2018-19 season and Real Madrid drew Ajax in the Round of 16 of the Champions League. The Spanish side went to Amsterdam and took on a stacked Ajax side with Hakim Ziyech and Dusan Tadic. Madrid won the opening leg 2-1 at the Amsterdam Arena, and Ajax had their work cut out for them in the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
On this day, four years ago, Erik Ten Hag's Ajax did the unthinkable and smashed Real Madrid 4-1 win at the Bernabeu. 🍿 pic.twitter.com/I2J2ng4p8N
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Footballtweet) March 5, 2023
Ajax pulled off one of the biggest comebacks in club history, going into Madrid and beating the winningest clun in Europe 1-4 with goals from Ziyech, David Neres in the first half, and then Tadic and Lasse Schöne in the second to send then manager Santiago Solari´s side packing.
Benfica looking to join list
That Ajax squad would go all the way to the semifinals, and come within minutes of reaching the Final, but had their hearts broken in the second leg of the semi when Lucas Moura secured his hat trick and a spot in the final with a decisive goal in the sixth minute of extra time.
Tonight Benfica go into the Bernabeu hoping to repeat history with a little magic that the Dutch side had seven years ago. The Portuguese side lost the first leg 0-1 with a 50th minute wonder strike from Vinicius Jr. and now they have to go into Madrid and turn the tie around in the Spanish capital.
Only one team in the last 23 Champions League ties has been able to come back on Real Madrid after losing the first leg. That was Ajax almost a decade ago. If Benfica are going to do so, they are going to have to do it without manager Jose Mourinho who was shown a red card in the first leg.
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