Arnold, Schurrle, Draxler & Co.
The story of David versus Goliath is often referred to when small versus big makes what was thought impossible come true. A similar scenario happened exactly seven years ago today, because VfL Wolfsburg shocked Spanish record champions Real Madrid 2-0 in their first quarter-final appearance in the Champions League.
At the time, after only two minutes, it looked as if the favorite would go his own way. Cristiano Ronaldo scored early against goalkeeper Diego Benaglio, but the goal was ruled out due to a narrow offside position. The team of coach Zinédine Zidane, who was then in his first term with the “Royal”, took control, but after Casemiro fouled André Schürrle in his own penalty area, left-back Ricardo Rodríguez took the penalty – and scored the lead for the host (18th). A few moments later, VfL took advantage of the minutes of uncertainty among the guests: After preparatory work by Bruno Henrique, Maximilian Arnold increased the lead to 2-0 from close range (25th).
As a result, one waited in vain for an urgent phase of the Blancos. Despite having the best line-up, the Madrid side were unimaginative and harmless for long stretches and rarely posed any problems for Benaglio and Co. VfL around trainer Dieter Hecking, who appeared with Julian Draxler, Max Kruse, who later came on as a substitute, or the Brazilian central defender duo Dante and Naldo, showed a strong performance. As the final whistle drew nearer, Real made desperate but not compelling shots. In the final phase, Schürrle even had the chance to further extend the lead. After 90 minutes there were seven shots on goal for the hosts and only two for the guests. When referee Gianluca Rocchi blew the final whistle, the scoreboard actually showed VfL Wolfsburg 2-0 over the “Royals”.
#OnThisDay in 2⃣0⃣1⃣6⃣
@VfL_Wolfsburg 2⃣-0⃣ #Real Madrid#UCL | @VfLWolfsburg_EN | @VfLWolfsburg_US pic.twitter.com/VB0omAfVF6
— UEFA.com DE (@UEFAcom_de) April 6, 2021
“We played boldly forward and were sure of the ball. It was pretty easy to see that we could play. If we are similarly courageous in the second leg, we can get into the semi-finals,” said then-manager Klaus Allofs, who had to watch in the second leg as Cristiano Ronaldo equalized the result of the first duel with a brace in the first half at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu and in the final phase sealed the elimination of the “Wolves” with a free kick. For Real, after almost being eliminated, it even went to the final and winning the title.
Note: This article comes fresh from the TM archive for the anniversary and was first published on April 6, 2021.
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