Arsenal’s 3-0 crushing win: Have Real Madrid ever come back from a three-goal deficit in the Champions League?

Arsenal stunned the soccer world with a dominant 3-0 victory over Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals — a result that deals a serious blow to the Spanish giants’ hopes of lifting silverware this season. The loss marks one of the worst Real Madrid have suffered in the competition, leaving them with a mountain to climb in the second leg.

Real Madrid are known for their dominance in the Champions League, holding the most titles in the tournament’s history. But this quarterfinal against Arsenal presents the club with a rare and daunting scenario.

In all of their Champions League history, Real Madrid have never overturned a 3-0 first-leg deficit in a knockout round. That sets a tough precedent as they prepare to host the Gunners next Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Their biggest comeback to date came in the same stage of the 2015–16 season. After losing 2-0 to Wolfsburg in Germany, Madrid responded with a 3-0 victory at home to reach the semifinals — thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo hat trick.

Historical comebacks that fuel Real Madrid’s belief

A three-goal deficit is no small challenge, especially for a team that’s shown inconsistency throughout the season. But history offers a few examples of miraculous turnarounds that could inspire belief — and notably, they often involve Spanish clubs.

The first-ever three-goal comeback in a Champions League knockout tie came in 2003–04, when Deportivo La Coruña overturned a 4-1 loss to AC Milan by winning 4-0 in the second leg.

Barcelona, Madrid’s eternal rivals, were famously on the wrong side of two historic collapses. In the 2017–18 quarterfinals, AS Roma erased a 4-1 first-leg loss with a 3-0 win at home. Then in 2018–19, Liverpool came back from a 3-0 defeat at Camp Nou with a 4-0 thrashing at Anfield in the semifinals.

Before facing Arsenal again, Real Madrid will take on Deportivo Alavés in La Liga on Sunday — a chance to regain confidence ahead of what could be a historic night. If they pull it off, Los Blancos would become just the fourth team in Champions League history to overcome a 3-goal first-leg deficit.