Just 19 days after one of the most bizarre nights in the UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid returns to Lisbon to face Benfica once again, in an attempt to set things right and avoid a repeat of the previous catastrophic scenario.

That match witnessed a stunning goal by goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin in the 98th minute, celebrated wildly by the Portuguese team while José Mourinho ran to celebrate with a ball boy, in a scene that became one of the tournament's highlights. Despite the drama, that defeat did not change Real Madrid's fate, as they were already heading to the European playoffs, but it increased the feeling of "shame," as described by Kylian Mbappé, after a harsh 4-2 loss.

After that night, Real Madrid's performance improved significantly, achieving three consecutive victories in La Liga and topping the standings, although Barcelona still has a game in hand. Coach Álvaro Arbeloa emphasized the importance of the weeks without European matches to work on the team, especially after a humiliating exit from the Copa del Rey against Albacete, which gave the team time to rebuild. The victories over Rayo Vallecano, Valencia, and Real Sociedad restored confidence to the team, particularly the last win with a large score in a match filled with positive vibes instead of the usual boos.

Team captain Fede Valverde admitted that the players went through a very difficult period and faced harsh criticism from the fans, but he confirmed that this was necessary to bring about change and maturity within the group. He explained that the team felt exposed and accused of wasting the opportunity to build a new project, especially after the departure of Xabi Alonso, which prompted the players to realize their responsibility and improve their performance. He added that this phase made the team mature and change many internal matters after a series of disappointing results and not winning titles in the past and current seasons.

In the absence of Mbappe due to a knee injury, Gonzalo Garcia scored the first goal in the recent victory, while Vinicius Junior scored twice and Valverde added his first goal of the season after returning to the midfield. Trent Alexander-Arnold played a significant role by assisting a goal with a brilliant long pass, which the striker described as an "easy candy" to score. The Spanish press praised Trent's ability to pass the ball with deadly accuracy, considering his presence adds a different dimension to the team, especially after returning from muscle injuries that limited his participation to only 16% of the season's minutes.

Despite the current optimism, caution against excessive optimism is warranted, as two of Real Madrid's recent goals came from penalties. Additionally, Real Sociedad was fatigued due to cup matches and numerous absences. There are also questions about Mbappe's role, as some have noted that the team achieved significant results in his absence, including a match where they scored five goals against Betis, even though he has scored 38 goals this season. All of this suggests that the current optimism may be fragile.

Real Madrid has experienced similar moments of optimism in the past under the leadership of Arbeloa and Xabi Alonso, only for things to quickly fall apart. Under Alonso's guidance, the team achieved a series of victories and reached the final of the Spanish Super Cup, but the coach was dismissed immediately afterward. With Arbeloa, the team also started with strong victories, including a sweeping win over Monaco, before suffering another setback in Lisbon against Benfica. Coach Arbeloa expressed his fear of history repeating itself, emphasizing that the team is aware of the difficulty of the upcoming challenge and is approaching it with great caution.

The upcoming match carries an additional symbolic dimension, as Real Madrid faces its former coach José Mourinho, who is leading Benfica into the Champions League playoffs, aiming to prove that the previous victory was not a fluke. Real Madrid, on its part, hopes to write a new chapter in this encounter and avoid a repeat of the "Tropin Miracle" moment, which became a symbol of the team's collapse on that historic European night.