The giants are waiting for a miracle in the Champions League

Mbappe (middle) faces Arsenal's solid defense - Photo: Reuters

Bayern Munich lost 1-2 at home to Inter Milan in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. Real Madrid suffered a shocking 0-3 defeat to Arsenal.

Will Real come back?

"Real Madrid need to lose the first leg to have the motivation to come back in the second leg" - Toni Kroos joked when livestreaming commentary on the first leg. The German midfielder expressed disappointment with his former team, but he believes that the Bernabeu home ground will create strength for Real Madrid.

Fans will surely remember the magical 2021-2022 season, when Real Madrid made three incredible comebacks at home to reach the Champions League final. In the round of 16, they lost 0-1 away to PSG and were trailing 0-2 on aggregate until the 60th minute of the second leg. But they exploded in the final 30 minutes and won 3-2 thanks to Benzema.

In the quarter-finals, Real Madrid won 3-1 at Chelsea in the first leg, but surprisingly lost 0-3 in the 80th minute in the return leg at home. Rodrygo's 80th-minute goal sent the match into extra time, before Benzema completed the comeback with a golden goal in extra time.

In the semi-finals, Real Madrid lost the first leg 3-4 to Man City, before winning 3-1 in the return match at home. Fans still remember the moment in the 90th minute of that match, when Man City led 5-3 on aggregate. Computer data showed that Real Madrid had a mere 1% chance of winning in the 89th minute. Then Rodrygo scored twice in stoppage time, before Benzema (Benzema again) sealed the victory in extra time.

The big challenge is Arsenal

Football history will forever remember that magical journey as a testament to Real Madrid's "Champions League DNA".

Of course, each stage is different. This time, Real Madrid faces a bigger challenge with a gap of 3 goals. Compared to PSG, Chelsea or Man City in the past, Arsenal at the present time is highly appreciated for its defensive ability.

Real Madrid now has more attacking stars with the addition of Bellingham, Mbappe, Brahim Diaz to the attack. But on the other hand, they have lost experienced stars - from Benzema, Kroos to Carvajal, Mendy, Militao (injured). Real Madrid is now more flashy, more beautiful but is not highly appreciated for its playing ability compared to the generation 3 years ago.

At least Real Madrid received good news when Tchouameni returned from suspension, while keeping their formidable attack intact. Arsenal still suffered serious personnel losses as Magalhaes, Calafiori, Havertz, Jesus are definitely absent. White and Partey are also uncertain to play. Of course, with a 3-goal lead, Arsenal can leisurely enter the match with their familiar defensive counter-attacking style.

An arduous task, but will it be an opportunity for Real Madrid to create a new milestone in their brilliant history?

Bayern Munich's hardships

Bayern Munich lost the first leg to Inter Milan by just one goal, but on the other hand, they have to play away in the second leg. The task for the "gray tigers" is equally difficult, because they have lost too much force compared to their opponents. Musiala, Davies, Upamecano, Ito and Neuer are the stars who are definitely absent for Bayern Munich, while Inter only have Dumfries and Zielinski.

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HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cac-dai-gia-trong-cho-phep-mau-o-champions-league-20250416092759661.htm