Real Madrid comes back again: 4-3 over Roma, and a look back at the club's greatest Champions League escapes

There's a move Real Madrid pulls off so often it feels like it's written into the club's bylaws: fall behind, check the clock, and somehow find a way back. It happened again recently in Rome, and it's really just the latest page in a very long story. The club is the all-time leader in Champions League titles, and a good chunk of that legend comes down to comebacks nobody forgets.

The latest one: 4-3 against Roma

On matchday two of the 2026/27 Champions League league phase, Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid found themselves down 3-1 at the Stadio Olimpico. Donyell Malen, with a brace, had Roma flying. But in the final stretch came the Madrid response: goals from Carlos Espi, Endrick and Antonio Rudiger sealed a nail biting 4-3 that looks straight out of the club's own playbook.

Joselu and the night nobody saw coming

The road to the 15th European Cup hit its tensest point in the 2023/24 semifinals against Bayern Munich. The first leg in Germany had ended 2-2, and at the Bernabeu, Alphonso Davies put the Bavarians ahead in the 68th minute. Madrid couldn't find a way through, and the final seemed to be slipping away. Then Joselu came off the bench, equalized in the 88th minute, and just three minutes later, in the 91st, struck the 2-1 winner that sealed one of the most unexpected comebacks of the club's recent European run.

Rodrygo and Benzema against City

The matchups between Real Madrid and Manchester City have become a classic in their own right, and the 2021/22 semifinals delivered another display of nerves of steel. After losing the first leg 4-3 in England, the aggregate score looked settled when Riyad Mahrez made it 5-3 in the 73rd minute. But Rodrygo struck twice in the blink of an eye: he equalized in the 90th minute with an assist from Karim Benzema, and a minute later, with a header, made it 2-1 to force extra time. There, Benzema converted a penalty to complete the feat.

Benzema's fury against PSG

In the 2021/22 round of 16, Messi, Neymar and Mbappe's PSG arrived as favorites after winning the first leg in Paris thanks to an Mbappe goal in the 91st minute. In the return leg, the Frenchman put his side ahead again in the 39th minute at the Bernabeu. That's when Benzema took the team on his back: he scored in the 61st minute, struck again fifteen minutes later, and completed his hat trick just two minutes after that, for another unforgettable night in Chamartin.

Rodrygo and Benzema again, against Chelsea

In the quarterfinals of that same edition, Madrid arrived with an advantage after winning 3-1 in London behind a Benzema hat trick. But the Bernabeu lived through a nightmare of a match: Mason Mount, Antonio Rudiger and Timo Werner put Chelsea ahead 4-3 on aggregate. Once again the comeback arrived: Rodrygo in the 80th minute and Benzema in the 96th completed the turnaround.

Cristiano's hat trick against Wolfsburg

In the 2015/16 quarterfinals, the team had been beaten 2-0 in the first leg in Germany. In the return leg, Cristiano Ronaldo needed no help, scoring a hat trick capped in the 77th minute to send Madrid through.

The Decima: "90 and Ramos"

No comeback carries the weight of the 2013/14 final against Atletico Madrid. Diego Godin put the Colchoneros ahead in the 36th minute after an Iker Casillas error, and the match wore on without the Madrid stars finding the net. Then came the moment that's been etched in memory ever since: in the 93rd minute, Luka Modric floated in a corner kick and Sergio Ramos headed home the equalizer. There was no contest in extra time: Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo, from the penalty spot, sealed a final 4-1 that delivered the club its long awaited Decima.