Real Madrid's history of comebacks means Arsenal must be ready to suffer in second leg

Never before has 'remontada' been used more frequently in a eight-day period than between 8 and 16 April 2025.

Real Madrid's 3-0 defeat at the Emirates was chastening. Carlo Ancelotti's side wilted in the second-half having succumbed to the free-kick majesty of Declan Rice. After Kylian Mbappe had a first half effort saved by David Raya, the Champions League holders struggled to lay a glove on the Gunners.

Mikel Arteta's men produced one of Arsenal's great European nights last Tuesday. An initially cagey affair was broken open by Rice from 25 yards, and the hosts were supreme in the aftermath, performing with the self-assurance synonymous with their opponents under the bright lights.

However, despite the comfort of Arsenal's current advantage, there's not a sane Gooner boasting unflinching confidence over their side's progression into the next phase, where Paris Saint-Germain await. A Madrid outfit determined to right the wrongs of last week's humiliation await, and they're aiming to speak another 'remontada' (Spanish for 'comeback', by the way) into existence.

Real Madrid determined to speak 'remontada' vs Arsenal into existence

This is not Real Madrid's first rodeo. They head into Wednesday's second leg with the most two-goal second leg comebacks in European knockout ties ever (nine). However, only four of these arrived in the Champions League, and only once have they overturned a three-goal deficit from the first leg. Those of a certain age will remember Carlos Santillana and his extra-time strike in the second round of their 1975/76 European Cup tie with Derby County.

Never before has there been so much pre-match hype surrounding a potential turnaround. And while Madrid haven't completed a continental comeback of this size in almost 50 years, their recent heroics means such optimism is somewhat justified.

Vinicius Junior and Thibaut Courtois have been two of the biggest social media warriors in the build-up to Arsenal's visit, insisting that Madrid are primed to stage the impossible. The pair played starring roles during the club's ‘La Champions de las remontadas’ run of 2021/22, which included comebacks of differing likelihood against PSG, Chelsea, and, most memorably, Manchester City.

"“Remontada… honestly, I’ve heard it a million times this week. I’ve seen a lot of videos on social media, and I’ve also heard it from you, the press. It’s a night tailor-made for Madrid”"

Jude Bellingham ahead of the second leg

Jude Bellingham has spoken (via The Athletic) of Wednesday being "a night tailor-made for Madrid", while Mbappe expressed confidence over a second leg resurgence while posing for photographs on his way out of the Emirates last week. "Of course we can," he replied when asked whether Los Blancos could fight back in the Spanish capital.

Previous Madrid comebacks have defied logic, with teams seemingly doing all they can to prevail before succumbing to an unstoppable supernatural force. “90 minutes is a long time in the Santiago Bernabeu," Juanito, the man responsible for writing the remontada playbook in Madrid quarters, once said. His spirit still lives on strong in the capital.

This Madrid team are tactically inferior to Mikel Arteta's meticulous Gunners, nor do they boast the robotic cohesiveness with which Arsenal often play. However, they have the edge in unquantifiable and intangible realms. They're the masters of momentum, and we saw again on Tuesday night just how violently a Champions League tie can shift in an instant. It takes a moment of genius from one of Madrid's array of superstars to thrust a self-assured Arsenal into a state of collective doubt. The hosts have been here time and time again. The Gunners have had few continental ventures of such magnitude as a group, even if they seemingly crossed a new frontier last week.

This is a competition that facilitates the impossible, and the allure surrounding Madrid on such occasions may render Arteta powerless on the sidelines. He got the better of Ancelotti's serenity last week, but Wednesday night's bound to be a different ball game entirely. How well his team deal with upsurges in Madrid momentum will determine whether they advance to their first Champions League semi-final in 16 years.

Arsenal have every right to be confident, but an emergence of weakness will be seized upon by the bloodhounds of the Bernabeu in the second leg. This is a test like no other.

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