Real Madrid have not come back from a two-goal deficit for 29 years
Tuesday 12 April 2016 22:21, UK
Real Madrid must overcome a two-goal deficit if they are to reach the Champions League semi-finals - but history is against them.
Bundesliga side Wolfsburg claimed a shock 2-0 win in the first leg of the quarter-final to leave Zinedine Zidane's side with a tough task in Tuesday's return leg at the Bernabeu.
Only two teams have ever overturned a 2-0 away defeat from the first leg of a Champions League tie and Real themselves have not come back from a two-goal European deficit since they edged past Red Star Belgrade in 1987.
The last European tie that Real Madrid managed to turn around at all was way back in 2002, when they put a 2-1 defeat in Munich to the back of their minds to eliminate Bayern with a 2-0 win at the Bernabeu, thanks to goals from Ivan Helguera and Guti.
Madrid have trailed from the first leg on eight occasions since, without emerging victorious on aggregate once. That run includes exits against Arsenal in 2005/06 and Liverpool in 2008/09.
Last season, Juventus held a 2-1 advantage in the semi-final ahead of the return leg in the Spanish capital, but the Madridistas went home unhappy as their side could only muster a 1-1 draw in the Bernabeu.
The Spaniards can at least take solace from the fact they have progressed in all of their last four knockout-round ties with German clubs.
They have won 29 of their past 34 Champions League games at home - and are also yet to concede at the Bernabeu in Europe this season.
Nor should Real panic if they are still behind late in the game; all of their past nine Champions League goals have come in the second half, and four of the past five goals Wolfsburg have conceded in the Champions League have come in the last 15 minutes.
Their task might be tricky but manager Zidane is certainly not contemplating elimination.
"Madrid are never ready for that," he said at his pre-match press conference.
"Madrid always expect to go through, to do more and more, because it's the club with the most European Cups."
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