The team Real Madrid must emulate against Bayern Munich to keep Champions League dream alive

Real Madrid must defy history in more ways than one if they are to keep their dreams of winning a record-extending 16th Champions League title alive after their 2-1 home defeat to Bayern Munich in the first leg of the quarterfinals last week.

Real Madrid’s distant and fading precedent

Only once in their entire history have the LaLiga giants managed to overturn a European tie after losing the first leg at home.

In October 1970, Los Blancos were beaten 1-0 at the Bernabéu by Austrian side Wacker Innsbruck in the second round of the European Cup Winners’ Cup. Madrid responded with a 2-0 win away from home to turn the tie around and reach the quarterfinals.

They would eventually go on to reach the final, where they lost to Chelsea.

Both Wacker Innsbruck and the Cup Winners’ Cup no longer exist, which only underscores just how distant that precedent feels ahead of Wednesday’s second leg in Munich.

Of course, part of the reason for that long gap is simple. Real Madrid rarely lose European knockout first legs at home. Since that defeat to Wacker Innsbruck in 1970, Madrid have only been beaten six times in the first leg of a European tie at the Bernabéu. On each occasion, they have failed to recover in the return leg.

Bayern’s ‘remontada’ resistance

Things look even more bleak for the Spaniards when you consider Bayern’s history in the competition. Since making their European debut in 1962, only once have the Bavarians been knocked out after winning the first leg away from home.

The only team to achieve what Real Madrid are now chasing is Inter Milan. In the round of 16 in the 2010-11 season, the Italians overcame a 1-0 defeat in the first leg at San Siro by winning 3-2 in Germany in the return game.

They were, however, aided by the away goals rule, which sent them through after the teams finished level on aggregate at 3-3.

That rule, of course, is no longer in use, so Madrid will either have to win by two clear goals, something no team has ever done in a second leg in Munich, or secure a one-goal victory and try their luck in a penalty shootout.

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