• Champions A night of "suffering" and "liberation" thanks to the "magic" of the Bernabéu: "Something happens in this stadium"

  • Chronicle Madrid defies death head-on to reach the Champions League semi-finals

  • Analysis The heroic of the remnants: an unusual defense for the tenth semifinal in 12 years

In the extra time break,

Tuchel

took out a giant blackboard and gave several explanations to the

Chelsea

players , in disbelief after

Rodrygo

forced extra time and

Benzema

headed the net to make it 2-3 that gave

Madrid

the pass .

The German coach opted for tactical talk at the most emotional moment of the meeting.

A few meters away,

Ancelotti

barely spoke a word.

He was silent, letting his footballers breathe, who encouraged each other while the Bernabéu roared, smelling blood.

The tactic against sentiment.

The European champion against a defense made up of

Lucas, Carvajal, Alaba and a lame Marcelo

.

With a

36-year-old Modric

playing defensive pivot and Benzema pressing injured.

You know who won.

Chamartín is a madhouse in which logic often makes no sense.

A scenario in which some of the

most unlikely comebacks in the history of football

have taken place and in which Madrid, mortally wounded, has managed to survive holding on to one last unexpected breath.

«

Madrid must be killed, crushed

.

They have to kill us well, kill yourselves.

You cannot leave him badly injured because

he gets hooked on life

, as long as you leave an open door for him, he takes advantage of it, ”reflects with this newspaper

Santillana

, protagonist of several of those great nights at the

Bernabéu

.

He lived through

Derby County

in 1975, 6-1 against

Anderlecht

in 84-85 (3-0 in the first leg), 4-0 against

Monchengladbach

(5-1 in the first leg) and 5-1 against Inter in 85-86 (3-1 in the first leg). «

PSG's or Chelsea's are not comebacks like ours

, Madrid did not need to risk so much.

This is something else.

We had lost 4-0, we had to throw all the ships into combat and it went well, but our rivals were always left alone against the goalkeeper.

That risk the public knew.

But what has happened now cannot be explained with tactics or technique.

It's a magic wand that appears out there.

With great footballers, yes.

"It goes in the DNA from generation to generation"

The first of the great comebacks that are remembered at the Bernabéu was that of Derby County.

It was the round of 16 of the

European Cup

and Madrid had just lost 4-1 against the English champion.

In the capital, the match ended 5-1.

«We had messed it up in the first leg and we had to come back.

The magic of the Bernabéu is a reality and it has to do with the responsibility that a Madrid player has, "says

Del Bosque

.

And Santillana points out: «The Bernabéu has a special spell on European nights.

For the rival it is a very large psychological burden and for Madrid it is in the DNA, it is transmitted from generation to generation.

The children who lived through the eighties are now parents, and the children who were against Chelsea when they grow up will live through it again.

It is the greatness of Madrid

».

There are quotes to remember in almost any decade.

After the eighties glory came Bayern 2-0 (2-1 in the first leg) in the semis of 01-02,

Ramos' goal in Lisbon

or

Cristiano's hattrick to beat Wolfsburg 3-0

in the quarterfinals. 15-16 after 2-0 in the first leg.

A constant madness.

We never stop thinking that we are going to win

”, said

Benzema

sitting in the locker room after beating Chelsea.

Because few foreigners have better understood the history of Madrid and the connection that a footballer feels with the Bernabéu like the Frenchman.

Also

Modric

, chanted by the stands.

Also

Marcelo

, unable to sprint during the last few minutes due to injury.

The three are the backbone of a team that has accumulated ten semifinals in the last twelve seasons.

A modern story full of

agony and happiness

in Chamartín.

A decade of drama and joy

In

2012

: the missed penalty by

Ramos

in the semis against Bayern.

In

2013

: the near comeback against

Dortmund

after losing the first leg 4-1.

In

2014

: Overcoming

Bayern

's monologue to win the first leg 1-0.

In

2015

: beating

Atlético

in the quarterfinals, scoring in the 88th minute and then coming within a goal of forcing extra time against Juve.

In

2016

:

Wolfsburg

and the struggle to beat City 1-0 in the semis.

In

2017

: the eternal tension until they beat

Bayern

in extra time in the quarterfinals.

in

2018

: Benatia's penalty

to Lucas

in minute 93 when the Bernabéu was waiting for extra time after

Juventus

' 0-3 and the drama to tie

Bayern

2-2 and reach the final in Kiev.

Of the

29 heats

he has played in the ten times he has reached the semis these years,

18 have been with the return leg at home

and 11 with the return leg.

La

30º

will also celebrate its decisive match in Concha Espina.

In total,

Madrid have come from behind 23 times

in continental rounds with the second leg at home.

«

The Bernabéu is a mausoleum of football

», specifies Santillana.

Funerary monument on the grave of an important person, says the dictionary.

Well that.

Conforms to The Trust Project criteria

Know more

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