When Real Madrid and Juventus enter Santiago Bernabeu's pitch on Wednesday, we could either witness a dinasty in the making, or the downfall of a team that wanted to win everything but fell short miserably. Los Blancos and La Vecchia Signora will meet again in a semi-final game played in Madrid, just like they did 13 years ago. On that occasion, the team led by Carlos Queiroz pulled off a 2-1 win over their visitors.
Spain's winningest club will fight against their recent history, and most notably, against what's been called "the first leg jinx". History shows us that Real Madrid hasn't been able to turn around a semi-final series where they lose the first leg, leaving the competition each and every one of the seven times this happened. Here's a recount of what happened during those games.
1967-68
Manchester United won the first leg at Old Trafford 1-0, with a superb performance by George Best and David Sadler, who scored the only goal of the game. Los Blancos were not able to overturn the score, and only managed to end the game with a 3-3 draw.
George Best tries to dribble past Real Madrid's goalkeeper during the first leg of their 1968 semi-final series.
1972-1973
Ajax dominated Los Blancos with a little help from the best player of those years: Johan Cruyff. The Dutch legend led the red-and-white side to a 2-1 win at home, while they visited Santiago Bernabeu and snatched the win with a 1-0 score. Ajax went on to win the tournament.
The legendary Johan Cruyff(first from right to left) was key to Ajax's dominance in the early 70s, as his club's semi-final win over Los Blancos demonstrated.
1986-1987
Real Madrid's visits to Germany have always been complicated, and their 1986-1987 semi-final is one of those memories they would love to erase. Los Merengues lost the first leg 4-1, and they were only able to win the second game 1-0 to fall eliminated for the third time in a row.
Mexican striker Hugo Sanchez could not make the difference for Real Madrid against Bayern. "Hugol" never won the European Champions Cup in his illustrious career with Los Blancos.
2000-2001
Real Madrid had just conquered their eight Champions League trophy and wanted to win back-to-back titles, but they faced their German nemesis one more time. Their 1-0 loss at home was too much for them to handle, and their fate was decided one week later after a 2-1 defeat.
Giovane Elber celebrates a goal against Los Blancos during their semi-final series in 2001. The Bavarians once again went on to win the trophy after defeating Real Madrid.
2010-2011
Jose Mourinho's first season with Real Madrid was not as succesful as expected, with his side handing over La Liga against Barcelona, and losing against Pep Guardiola's team in the UCL semi-finals. Lionel Messi showed his best form during the first leg, scoring twice to give Los Blaugranas an unsurmountable lead. Mou's crew went on and drew the second leg at Camp Nou, but Los Culés managed to keep calm and won their second UEFA Champions League crown under Guardiola.
Messi celebrates his second goal after showing his amazing dribbling skills against Marcelo and Sergio Ramos.
2011-2012
This was Mourinho's second straight semi-final with Real Madrid, and it ended up in the most disappointing way. His team lost 2-1 at Allianz Arena, and fought hard to come back at Santiago Bernabeu stadium, taking the series to a penalty shootout. Fans were astounded after two of the most expensive players of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaká, missed their penalties miserably, while Sergio Ramos sent his shot over the crossbar to seal the deal for Bayern. This was the only time in which Bayern eliminated Los Merengues and were not able to win the UEFA Champions League crown.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored an early brace for Los Blancos, but could not make his penalty count and he saw his side eliminated by the German giants.
2012-2013
Borussia Dortmund was one of the most exciting teams in Europe, and they had the task of eliminating Real Madrid to play an all-German final against Bayern. Jürgen Klopp's team earned their spot while playing at Signal Iduna Park, where they thrashed Los Blancos 4-1. Real Madrid got close to tying the aggregate, but they fell one goal short again. This was Mourinho's last Champions League game coaching Real Madrid.
Robert Lewandowski had a night for the ages during the first leg, scoring four goals for the yellow-and-black outfit which were enough to earn them a Champions League final ticket.
But after all these stats, are Los Blancos doomed?
The answer is NO. If one team knows how to come back when things are tough, that's Real Madrid. Historically, Los Blancos have lost 36 first leg games in all UEFA competitions, and they have managed to stage a comeback 22 times (61%). In order to make it to Berlin, Ancelotti's team has to score only one goal against the Bianconeri, and their opponents have not kept a clean sheet against them at Santiago Bernabeu stadium since 2011(their semi-final loss against Barcelona). Furthermore, Real Madrid's record against Italian sides while playing at home reveals Los Merengues have won 21 out of 29 matches, with two draws and only six losses.
Will we have an European version of the Spanish Clasico in the UCL Final? Or will we watch how Juventus returns to their glorious Champions League nights?
Here's Football Daily's take on Real Madrid's current situation ahead of their 2nd leg game vs Juventus
