Paris Saint-Germain knows better than most what a comeback means in the Champions League and while their two-goal retrieval on Tuesday offered a dramatic late twist, there was no doubting the biggest recovery of the night.
Real Madrid had not only lost 3-0 in the opening fixture at the
Ten weeks later, his team
That Madrid conceded twice in two mad minutes meant it amounted only to a 2-2 draw, but the overwhelming sense is that this is a side finally playing with verve again. It feels like Zidane's Madrid is back.
"It was a great performance," said Zidane. "The players are not happy with the result, but you have to be happy with what we have done for 80 minutes. I'd take that performance all day long."
"We were lucky," admitted PSG coach Thomas Tuchel. "But that's not a crime."
Their late smash and grab were instigated by the electric Kylian Mbappe and completed by Pablo Sarabia.
If the French resurgence happened in a flash, Madrid's has been of an altogether different kind -- long, frustrating and for extended periods not at all obvious where it might end up.
Zidane's own comeback in February was hailed as the start of a "glorious new era" by club president Florentino Perez but questions about why he returned soon turned to dejection around the team, as three miserable months offered little hope of a revival.
The summer was supposed to bring
Instead, Madrid regrouped, spurred on perhaps by the struggles of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, and driven on by the re-emergence of key players.
Eden Hazard came back from injury and while the Belgian needed time, he has been almost back to his riveting best, all the more a shame that a twisted ankle in the second half threatens now to check his momentum.
"He was spectacular," said Zidane. "I hope the twist is a minor one."
Benzema scored 30 goals last season, after scoring 19 and 12 in the previous two. His latest double against PSG means he already has 14 this term.
There are others. Gareth Bale is back, from injury and international duty with Wales, and attempting to win back the fans, whose whistles for his introduction as a substitute were far less pronounced than when he returned against Real Sociedad on Saturday.
"We changed his position during the game and he did it well," Zidane said. "That's what we're looking for from him."
The question now is whether Madrid's revival will be fleeting or more sustained.
Toni Kroos admitted last month Barcelona's rocky start means Madrid feel they should be a few points clear by now at the top of La Liga.
Instead, they are level with Barca, who they face at the Camp
Madrid is through to the Champions League last 16, but as runners-up, and are still neck-and-neck for a first La Liga title in three years. Coming back is just the start.
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