Real Madrid now faces a daunting task in the second leg at the Bernabéu. They will need to score at least three goals to force extra time and four to win the tie outright. Can Ancelotti’s side pull off a historic comeback?
In a night to forget, Real Madrid fell 3-0 to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in the first leg of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League quarterfinals. Goals from Declan Rice (x2) and Mikel Merino gave the Gunners an unexpected advantage against the top champion of the continental tournament.
The result was not only surprising because of the difference, but because the “Merengue” (Meringue) team usually raises its level on nights of direct elimination, especially in the advanced stages of the Champions League.
However, every so often, even the most decorated club in Europe suffers stumbles that are marked in memory. This rout against Arsenal joins a short list of tough defeats, in which Real Madrid received three or more goals of difference. Below, a review of those matches that shook the “Madridismo” (Real Madrid fanbase).
A look back at Real Madrid’s humiliating defeats in the Champions League
2025 – Arsenal 3-0 Real Madrid (Quarterfinals – First Leg)
The Emirates was a boiler and Arsenal responded with high-level soccer. Declan Rice scored two goals from free kicks, both with a surgical strike, and Mikel Merino sealed the result with a shot inside the area after a great collective play. It was one of the most complete performances of Mikel Arteta’s team in Europe, with physical dominance, high pressure and remarkable efficiency.
Real Madrid, who had eliminated Atlético Madrid in the round of 16 with some doubts, had been betting on their experience in this type of match. However, the blow was hard and forces them to come back at the Bernabéu if they want to continue in the race in this 2024/25 edition, where many gave them as a candidate for the title.
2023 – Manchester City 4-0 Real Madrid (Semifinal – Second Leg)
At the Etihad Stadium, Pep Guardiola’s team played one of the best matches of his era. Bernardo Silva, with a double in the first half, opened the route of the rout. Akanji and Julián Álvarez completed the task against a Real Madrid without reaction, which was surpassed in all sectors of the field and failed to shoot at the goal in the second half.
Real Madrid arrived at that semifinal after eliminating Chelsea, while City came from leaving out Bayern. In the first leg, the 1-1 draw at the Bernabéu had left the series open, but in the second leg the English dominance was total. Guardiola’s team would later be champions, achieving their first Champions League after beating Inter in the final.
2019 – Real Madrid 1-4 Ajax (Round of 16 – Second Leg)
On a historic night for Dutch soccer, Ajax gave a true lesson at the Santiago Bernabéu. With an offensive, vertical and uncomplicated game, Erik ten Hag’s team surpassed a Madrid turned off. Ziyech, Neres, Tadić and Schöne scored the goals for the visit, while Marco Asensio discounted for the locals. The series ended 5-3 in favor of Ajax.
That Real Madrid was a wounded team: it had just been left out of the Copa del Rey against Barcelona and was far away in La Liga. In addition, it was the first season without Cristiano Ronaldo and with Lopetegui first and then Solari on the bench. The blow against Ajax was the symbolic closure of a golden era that had conquered three consecutive Champions Leagues.
2009 – Liverpool 4-0 Real Madrid (Round of 16 – Second Leg)
At Anfield, Rafa Benítez’s Liverpool crushed Madrid with authority. Fernando Torres opened the scoring with an individual play and Steven Gerrard scored twice. Andrea Dossena, already at the end, put definitive figures to a rout that left the white squad speechless.
It was one of Madrid’s worst European matches in the 2000s. The Spanish team arrived after losing 1-0 in the first leg and failed to gain a foothold in the series. At that time, Madrid was living a stage of transition, without great figures or a consolidated project. It would be only in the following decade, with the arrival of Mourinho and then Zidane, when it would reign again in Europe.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, Real Madrid has suffered four defeats by three or more goals of difference in instances of direct elimination in the Champions League. Three of them occurred in the last six years, a statistic that reflects how competitive and changing the European tournament has become, even for giants like the “Merengue” (Meringue) team.
