The last time the two teams faced each other was in Kyiv 2018 when Salah left the field in tears after being injured in a tackle by Sergio Ramos. Real Madrid eventually won 3-1 to win their 13th European Cup.
Now in Paris – after the final was moved from St Petersburg following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – the Reds and Los Blancos meet again.
Real Madrid, who hadn’t scored a single goal all evening, were 5-3 down on aggregate on Wednesday as the clock ticked down to 90 minutes.
Then two goals – one in the 90th minute and one in stoppage time – from substitute Rodrygo left the points total and dragged the game into overtime.
Fueled by the rough atmosphere that had been ignited around the Bernabéu, Real’s attack continued and resulted in a penalty in the 95th minute. Karim Benzema came on, converted and propelled his side into the Champions League final.
Like the fans in the stadium, the reaction in the Spanish newspapers was overwhelming. “God must come and explain it,” declared the Spanish newspaper MARCA. “Real Madrid are from another planet,” read the AS front page.
Mundo Deportivo, a Barcelona-based newspaper traditionally more associated with Real’s great rivals Barça, ran the headline ‘Groundhog Day’ in reference to Los Merengues’ remarkable run of Bernabéu comebacks in the knockout stages. -round of the Champions League.
In the quarter-finals, Benzema defeated Paris Saint-Germain in the second half in the second leg by a hat-trick to come back from a 2-0 deficit on aggregate. In the semi-final against Chelsea, a late Rodrygo goal forced the tie into extra time before Benzema scored the decisive goal in the 96th minute.
“I can’t say we’re used to that kind of life, but what happened tonight happened against Chelsea and also against Paris,” said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, according to the BBC.
“If you have to say why, it’s the history of this club that helps us carry on when it seems we’re gone.
“The game was almost over and we gathered our last energy. We played well against a strong rival. When we equalised, we had a psychological advantage in extra time.”
It was “another crazy night,” said Real midfielder Federico Valverde, according to the BBC.
“When City scored it felt like everything was falling apart – all the effort and fighting every round, it felt lost.
“But the fans have been a big help for us to keep fighting to the end. When the goals come, you think, ‘We’re going to win today,'” he said.
And true to the chants that Real fans sang around the Bernabéu – “hasta el final, vamos Real” (“Until the end, let’s go Real”) and “sí, se puede” (“Yes, we can” ) – Madrid’s squad achieved another wonderful result for the ages.