Carlo Ancelotti believes in a Real Madrid UCL comeback vs. Arsenal: 'Something happens in the Bernabeu'

The Italian manager knows it's an uphill battle, but Real have had plenty of comebacks in the past

LONDON -- Three goals down as they return from the Emirates Stadium to lick their wounds, many coaches might privately acknowledge that they were out of the Champions League if they had just suffered the shellacking Arsenal inflicted on Real Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti knows, however, that anything can happen in football. Particularly when the stage is set at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Mikel Arteta knows as much. When he returned to the dressing room, his players were already reminding each other that it is only half time in the tie. They might be riding high after Declan Rice's stunning free kicks set them on course for a 3-0 win that will go down as the Emirates Stadium's greatest night. They know, however, that the jubilation of Tuesday would sour if something were to go disastrously wrong in eight days. They will doubtless agree with Ancelotti's assessment of the tie.

"If you look at the game tonight, there is no chance," he said. "But football changes. No one expected that Rice scores two set pieces. He did that tonight. Football, anything can happen. A lot of times, something happens in the Bernabeu."

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In Champions League history, only three teams have overturned a three-goal first-leg deficit on their home ground. Remarkably, given their well-earned reputation for high drama, Madrid are not one of them. Indeed, only in beating Wolfsburg 3-0 in the 2015-16 quarterfinals did they make back the two goals they conceded in the opener. Meanwhile any goal that they do score against Arsenal will be their first after three meetings with the Gunners.

That might have been different if Kylian Mbappe had converted one-on-one with David Raya in the first half, but Arsenal ironed out their early mistakes as the tie wore on, leaving Ancelotti unimpressed by his side's inability to up their levels as the game wore on.

"It's been very difficult for us," he said. "We thought the team was strong going into the game. In the first half, they were organized, then after the two goals we conceded from free kicks, the team struggled mentally, physically. It was tough finishing the game in that way. Normally, this team raise their level to the end of games. It wasn't like that. It was poor."

Arteta's greatest challenge might in theory be keeping his players' feet on the ground but they seemed to be doing that work for him. "They were talking about it [being half time in the tie] immediately," said Arteta. "You know, great, enjoy it and now let's prepare Saturday [at home to Brentford] very well and then we'll have the time to prepare the next challenge in Madrid. But they are all very excited."

Arteta and his players had little tract with any suggestion of their underdog status before the game. Though they never got carried away in expressing their confidence, no one who saw them prepare for one of the biggest matches the Emirates Stadium has seen in a decade would have thought that the moment intimidated them.

"I was very convinced because I could sense in the preparation that we were really at it, that we had that belief and that trust that we could create Madrid a lot of problems," said Arteta. "But then it was the theme of the game, make it happen. Then you have to make it happen, but you have that mindset and that belief, things can happen. And we delivered today; it's just half-time, but we are very happy."