Real draw inspiration from derby
As they contemplate how to overturn a 1-4 deficit to reach the Champions League final, nine-time European Cup winners Real Madrid are taking inspiration from a similar feat against Derby County four decades ago.
The Spanish giants were caught cold by Borussia Dortmund in their semifinal first leg last week, when, despite being one of the favourites to step out at Wembley on May 25, they were left on the brink of a surprise elimination.
Since their return to Spain, Real have delved into their extensive archives to dig up past examples of heroic fightbacks to convince fans and players of Tuesday’s second-leg possibilities.
Real have overturned an identical scoreline once before in Europe’s elite club competition, against Derby in 1975.
Charlie George scored a hat-trick for the English champions in a 4-1 secondround triumph at the Baseball Ground, and he scored again in the return leg at the Bernabeu.
However, a Real side which included current Spain boss Vicente del Bosque levelled the tie to force extra time, and striker Santillana struck a 100th-minute decider for a famous 5-1 victory, to progress 6-5 on aggregate.
“The games against Derby and Borussia Moenchengladbach (a similar comeback in the Uefa Cup) were incredible games,” Santillana said.
“The Bernabeu, if you light the match, burns everything.”
Much of Real’s hope of a comeback rests with Cristiano Ronaldo. Real will be wary of launching a cavalry charge at a Dortmund side unbeaten on their travels in Europe this year as it would leave their shaky defence even more exposed than usual.
They have the leakiest backline of the four teams remaining with 18 goals conceded, and have kept only one clean sheet in the competition so far.
The second leg is also a