The one who warns is not a traitorsays the popular proverb that is used so much in football. Madrid will appear on Tuesday at the Santiago Bernabéu with a comfortable lead, after the choral exhibition at Stamford Bridge that Benzema was in charge of coloring with his hat-trick (1-3). However, loose does not mean definitive. Juanito’s “90 minutes at the Bernabéu are molto longo”, sometimes has a double edge. Whites should only look back to flee from triumphalism. Ajax, Juventus and Bayern arrived at the white coliseum in a similar context to blue and the stands had to sweat and, in the last of the cases, cry a surprising and painful elimination.
In 2018-19, the first after Zidane’s three Champions League, he had to travel to Amsterdam for the round of 16. I expected Ajax from Ten Hag, Frenkie de Jong, De Ligt or Van de Beek. Benzema opened the scoring and Asensio, in 87′, drew the final 1-2 after Ziyech’s equaliser. The prize was higher than the game and the debacle came in the return. A blushing 1-4, accompanied by the injury of a Vinicius that was the only kind note of a season to forget. Sergio Ramos exemplified, and left it recorded for his documentary, that overconfidence is a bad companion: he forced the yellow in the first leg to get clean to some rooms that were a mirage. Champion lying down and Solari sentenced. The Argentine listened to the buzz of the dismissal after a double defeat against Barça, he endured one more clash (victory by 1-4 in Valladolid), but the dismissal was ‘written’. Zidane would return to try to straighten the course.
The other cases are kinder. Serious notices that ended in joy… and title. The Twelfth in Cardiff (1-4 against Juventus) and the Thirteenth in kyiv (3-1 against Liverpool). In the 16-17, a double by Cristiano silenced the Allianz of Munich, tracing Vidal’s initial goal (1-2). That the result in the Bernabéu of the second leg does not deceive the memory, since the 4-2 was perpetrated after 120 minutes. Bayern led to extra time The whites with goals from Lewandowski and Ramos, at their own door, but the figure of Mister Champions appeared. Two goals from Cristiano who, together with the one scored during regulation time, played re-poker in the tie and sent the Bavarian giant to the canvas. Asensio, with a great goal, secured a victory full of controversy and tension.
The rest took place in 2017-18. Again Ronaldo, twice, and Marcelo sealed a convincing 0-3 in Turin. Same result that Juventus achieved at the Bernabéu (two from Mandzukic and Matuidi) until, who else, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a penalty in added time that left the team KO’d. Old lady. The protests were fierce and Buffon ended up expelled, but Madrid was saved ‘in extremis’. Chelsea, as much as Tuchel said the tie was dead, will try to hold on to these kinds of burning nails. Madrid, to freeze the fury of the comeback.
Ancelotti also dodged the nightmare
Until Carlo Ancelotti has a precedent to cling to as white coach to vehemently ask his boys to flee from the euphoria. His first Madrid, after winning the Décima in Lisbon, He had a wonderful first few months. 22 consecutive wins, with the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup completing the work of the previous year, but the second part of 14-15 was to forget. A League was lost and Juve would get them out of the Champions League in the semis, although Schalke 04 could have done it two rounds earlier.
The white team won in Gelsenkirchen in the first leg of the round of 16, with goals from Cristiano and Marcelo (0-2). The lap pointed to a walk, but it led to the threat of a nightmare. Fuchs put the visitors ahead, Cristiano would turn it around and Huntelaar put the tie at halftime. After the snack, Benzema scored, but I healed and The matador The Dutch team made it 3-4, sowing chaos and leaving the Whites just one goal away from disaster.