Bayern Munich are feeling confident about their chances of overturning their 1-0 deficit to Real Madrid this evening after Los Blancos got one over them at the Santiago Bernabeu last week. And that’s because in five of the six times they’ve gone into a second leg 1-0 down, they’ve managed to turn it around. The one time they haven’t though, Carlo Ancelotti was present.
Apart from not having lost a single match against the German club, Ancelotti is confident about Real Madrid’s options to make it into the final, since he was present the only time Bayern were unable to turn a 1-0 around in the second leg of an European knock-out round.
It was back in his years as a player, specifically in the 1989/1990 season, when he was playing for AC Milan. That year, the Italians met Bayern in the semi-finals of the European Cup, before it had turned into the Champions League.
The first leg took place in Italy, at San Siro. In a pretty even game, Milan earned a 1-0 advantage. In the away leg, the Bianconeri suffered to earn their ticket to the final that would be played in Munich’s Olympic Stadium. Bayern scored and forced the extra-time, but the final 2-1 favoured Milan due to the higher value of goals scored away.
Ancelotti’s team would go on to win the final by beating Benfica 1-0, becoming the last club that has been unable to lift the title in two consecutive seasons. Thus, Ancelotti already knows how to successfully defend a 1-0 in Munich and end up winning the trophy.
