Real Madrid’s 2021/22 Champions League Goals: The Journey to European Glory

Some Champions League campaigns are remembered because of one great match. Others are remembered because an entire season seems to produce one unforgettable moment after another.

Real Madrid's 2021/22 European campaign belonged to the second category.

Across the tournament, Madrid produced goals that came in very different circumstances. There were early strikes in the group stage, individual moments of quality, dramatic finishes against some of Europe's biggest clubs, and late goals that completely changed the direction of knockout ties.

This compilation brings those moments together in chronological form, creating a visual journey through one of Real Madrid's most dramatic Champions League campaigns.

From Rodrygo's early contributions to Karim Benzema's extraordinary scoring run and Vinícius Júnior's decisive goal in the final, the video shows how Madrid's route to the trophy was built goal by goal.

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A Season Built Around Goals

Real Madrid's 2021/22 Champions League campaign began in the group stage and eventually ended with the club lifting the European Cup in Paris.

The official Real Madrid account of the campaign records a group containing Inter Milan, Sheriff Tiraspol and Shakhtar Donetsk, followed by knockout victories over Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City before the final against Liverpool.

The numbers provide an indication of the attacking output. Real Madrid finished the competition with 29 goals, while Karim Benzema finished as the tournament's leading scorer with 15 goals.

But statistics alone cannot explain why this campaign became so memorable.

The important detail was when many of those goals arrived.

Several came when Real Madrid needed them most.

The Group Stage: Where the Journey Began

The compilation opens with Real Madrid's early goals from the group stage.

At this point, there was no way of knowing how dramatic the season would eventually become. The team still had to negotiate six group-stage matches before facing the pressure of the knockout rounds.

Among the early contributors was Rodrygo, whose attacking involvement would become increasingly important as the competition progressed.

The group stage therefore provides a useful introduction to the season. The goals are not yet presented with the same desperation as the later knockout rounds, but they establish the attacking players who would eventually define the campaign.

Rodrygo's Early Contribution

Rodrygo appears early in the compilation, and his presence is significant when viewed from the perspective of the entire tournament.

At the beginning of the campaign, he was one member of a talented attacking group. By the semifinal against Manchester City, he would become the player responsible for one of the most dramatic late comebacks in Champions League history.

That makes the early goals particularly interesting in retrospect.

They form part of the build-up to a player who would eventually produce his most important European moments at the end of the season.

Marco Asensio and the Inter Milan Goal

One of the memorable moments highlighted in the compilation is Marco Asensio's strike against Inter Milan.

The goal appears around 1:30 - 1:50 in the video.

Asensio received the ball outside the penalty area before producing a precise curling effort that found the net.

The goal illustrates another feature of Madrid's attacking depth during the campaign: their goals did not come exclusively from one player.

Benzema became the leading scorer, but players such as Asensio, Rodrygo and Vinícius also produced important contributions throughout the competition.

Vinícius Júnior's Growing Importance

Vinícius Júnior's development is another major theme running through the compilation.

One of the highlighted moments comes against Shakhtar Donetsk, around 2:00 - 2:20.

The Brazilian winger's ability to accelerate with the ball and attack space made him a constant threat from wide areas.

His contribution became increasingly important as the competition moved into the knockout stages.

By the final in Paris, Vinícius would score the only goal of the match against Liverpool, completing his transformation from promising young attacker into one of the defining players of Madrid's European campaign.

The Knockout Stage Changes Everything

The tone of the compilation changes when the knockout rounds begin.

Group-stage goals are important, but knockout football carries a different kind of pressure. One goal can change the aggregate score. One mistake can eliminate a team. One late finish can completely alter a two-legged tie.

Real Madrid encountered that pressure against three major European opponents:

• Paris Saint-Germain
• Chelsea
• Manchester City

Each tie produced its own collection of memorable goals.

The Paris Saint-Germain Comeback

The round of 16 against Paris Saint-Germain became one of the defining chapters of Madrid's season.

Real Madrid entered the second leg needing to overturn a deficit after PSG won the first meeting in Paris.

Karim Benzema then became the central figure of the comeback.

His goals transformed the second leg and eventually sent Real Madrid through to the quarter-finals.

The importance of this sequence goes beyond the individual finishes. It established the pattern that would appear repeatedly during the knockout stages: Madrid could remain in a tie even when the situation looked increasingly difficult.

Benzema's Hat-Trick Against PSG

Benzema's second-leg performance against PSG was especially significant because all three of his goals arrived in the space of the second half.

The first reduced PSG's advantage.

The second brought the aggregate score level.

The third completed the turnaround.

It was a sequence that demonstrated the striker's ability to remain decisive under enormous pressure.

For the Champions League campaign as a whole, it was also an early indication that Benzema would be at the center of Madrid's European run.

The Chelsea Challenge

After eliminating PSG, Real Madrid faced Chelsea in the quarter-finals.

Once again, the goals became central to the story.

Benzema produced another memorable European performance in the first leg at Stamford Bridge, scoring a hat-trick as Madrid won 3–1.

The compilation's knockout section therefore shows how the team's attack continued to produce decisive moments against increasingly difficult opposition.

Madrid did not simply rely on one type of goal. There were combinations, individual efforts, headers, penalties and long-range strikes.

The Return Leg at the Santiago Bernabéu

The second leg against Chelsea demonstrated another characteristic of the campaign: even when Madrid suffered setbacks, they continued to find ways to score.

Chelsea eventually won the second leg 3–2 after extra time, but Real Madrid advanced 5–4 on aggregate.

That aggregate result meant another difficult tie had been survived.

The next challenge would be even more demanding.

Manchester City: Another European Giant

The semi-final against Manchester City produced two matches filled with goals.

The first leg at the Etihad Stadium ended 4–3 to Manchester City, leaving Real Madrid with work to do in the return match.

The second leg became one of the most dramatic matches of the entire tournament.

And one particular Benzema moment from the first leg receives special attention in the compilation.

Benzema's Panenka at the Etihad

At approximately 6:30 - 6:40 in the compilation, the video highlights Karim Benzema's famous Panenka penalty against Manchester City.

Instead of driving the ball toward one corner, Benzema calmly lifted it into the middle of the goal.

The technique required enormous confidence because the goalkeeper could remain central and catch or save the attempt if the timing was wrong.

In the context of a Champions League semi-final, the finish became another memorable example of Benzema's composure.

It was also representative of his role during the campaign: when Madrid needed a decisive attacking contribution, he repeatedly found ways to provide it.

The Manchester City Second Leg

The second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu became the ultimate example of the season's dramatic pattern.

Manchester City took the lead through Riyad Mahrez in the second half.

As the match approached its conclusion, Real Madrid were facing elimination.

Then Rodrygo scored.

And almost immediately afterward, Rodrygo scored again.

Those two goals forced extra time, where Benzema converted a penalty to complete the turnaround.

Real Madrid won the second leg 3–1 and advanced 6–5 on aggregate.

The official Real Madrid account of the campaign specifically describes the PSG, Chelsea and Manchester City matches as three decisive nights at the Santiago Bernabéu on the road to the final.

Rodrygo's Two Goals That Changed the Semi-Final

Rodrygo's contribution against Manchester City deserves its own section because of the timing.

The first goal arrived with Real Madrid running out of time.

The second arrived almost immediately afterward.

Within roughly two minutes, the entire tie had changed.

Manchester City's advantage disappeared, the aggregate score was level, and extra time became necessary.

The sequence is one of the clearest examples in the compilation of why goals cannot always be judged simply by their quality. Their timing can be just as important.

From Rodrygo to Benzema

Rodrygo's goals did not finish the comeback.

They created the opportunity for Real Madrid to complete it.

In extra time, Benzema won a penalty and converted it, giving Madrid the 3–1 victory on the night.

That combination became symbolic of the team's attacking structure during the knockout stages.

Young attacking players could provide explosive moments, while experienced players could deliver when the pressure reached its highest point.

The Final Against Liverpool

After eliminating Manchester City, Real Madrid reached the Champions League final against Liverpool in Paris.

The final presented a very different type of match from the semi-final.

There was no flood of goals. Instead, one goal ultimately separated the two sides.

Real Madrid's official record of the final notes that Thibaut Courtois produced a series of important saves before Vinícius Júnior scored in the second half. The match finished 1–0, giving Madrid the European Cup.

Vinícius Júnior's Final Goal

The decisive goal came in the 59th minute.

Federico Valverde carried the ball forward before delivering a low cross into the penalty area. Vinícius arrived at the far side and finished from close range.

After everything that had happened earlier in the tournament, it was fitting that another young attacking player provided the final decisive moment.

The campaign had featured Benzema's goals, Rodrygo's late interventions and Vinícius' growing influence. In Paris, Vinícius supplied the goal that finally ended the tournament.

Thibaut Courtois and the Other Side of the Story

A compilation of goals naturally focuses on attacking players, but Real Madrid's European triumph was not created by goals alone.

In the final, Thibaut Courtois made several important saves and was named player of the match. The official Real Madrid account records Courtois as the standout performer in the final.

This is an important reminder when looking at a goals compilation: every goal-scoring campaign also depends on the moments when a team prevents the opposition from scoring.

The Numbers Behind the Campaign

Real Madrid's official season summary provides several key figures:

These figures come from Real Madrid's official retrospective of their 14th European Cup.

Why the Goals Tell the Story of the Season

A goals compilation can sometimes feel like a collection of unrelated clips.

This one works differently because the goals can be viewed as chapters in a larger story.

The early group-stage goals introduce the squad.

The PSG goals establish the comeback theme.

The Chelsea goals show Benzema's continued scoring influence.

The Manchester City goals demonstrate the extreme drama of the semi-final.

And Vinícius' goal against Liverpool provides the final chapter.

Viewed together, the compilation becomes a condensed history of the entire Champions League campaign.

The Different Types of Goals in the Compilation

Another reason the video is interesting is the variety of finishes.

• Long-range strikes that arrive from outside the penalty area.
• Close-range finishes following movement inside the box.
• Headers created by crosses and set-piece situations.
• Individual runs where a player creates an opportunity through dribbling.
• Penalty kicks requiring composure under pressure.
• Team combinations where several players contribute to the final chance.

The variety reflects the attacking options available to Carlo Ancelotti's team during the campaign.

Karim Benzema's Central Role

No discussion of this Champions League campaign can avoid Benzema.

He finished with 15 goals and was Real Madrid's leading scorer in the competition.

His goals were also distributed across the most important stages of the tournament.

He scored against PSG.

He scored against Chelsea.

He scored against Manchester City.

He scored the penalty that completed the semi-final comeback.

And although he did not score in the final, his overall contribution had already helped carry Madrid to Paris.

His campaign became one of the defining individual scoring performances of the tournament.

Vinícius and the Final Chapter

Vinícius' role was different but equally important to the story of the compilation.

His speed and ability to attack space provided Real Madrid with a different attacking dimension.

The final against Liverpool demonstrated the value of that style. When Valverde delivered the ball across the box, Vinícius was in the right position to finish.

One goal was enough to decide the final.

That made his 59th-minute finish the final goal in Madrid's 2021/22 Champions League journey.

Rodrygo's Transformation During the Tournament

Rodrygo's story may be the most dramatic progression visible across the compilation.

His early group-stage appearances are followed much later by the two goals that rescued Madrid against Manchester City.

The contrast is important.

At the beginning of the video, Rodrygo is part of a talented attacking squad.

Near the end, he becomes the player who changes a Champions League semi-final within minutes.

That progression gives the compilation an additional narrative beyond simply counting goals.

The Road to the 14th European Cup

Real Madrid's victory in Paris completed the club's 14th European Cup/Champions League title. The official club retrospective describes the campaign as beginning with the group stage against Inter, Sheriff and Shakhtar before the dramatic knockout victories over PSG, Chelsea and Manchester City.

The final victory over Liverpool therefore represented the conclusion of a season in which Madrid had already survived several difficult knockout ties.

The goals in this compilation are the visible markers of that journey.

Complete Video Timeline

Frequently Asked Questions

How many goals did Real Madrid score in the 2021/22 Champions League?

Real Madrid scored 29 goals during their 2021/22 Champions League campaign, according to the club's official season retrospective.

Who was Real Madrid's top scorer in the competition?

Karim Benzema was Real Madrid's leading scorer with 15 goals and finished as the Champions League's top scorer for the season.

Who scored Real Madrid's goal in the Champions League final?

Vinícius Júnior scored the only goal of the 2022 Champions League final, giving Real Madrid a 1–0 victory over Liverpool.

Who did Real Madrid face in the knockout stages?

Real Madrid faced Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16, Chelsea in the quarter-finals, Manchester City in the semi-finals and Liverpool in the final.

What was special about Benzema's penalty against Manchester City?

Benzema used a Panenka-style penalty in the first leg at the Etihad Stadium, a distinctive technique in which the ball is lifted centrally rather than driven toward a corner.

How did Real Madrid reach the final after losing to Manchester City in the first leg?

Manchester City won the first leg 4–3, but Real Madrid won the second leg 3–1 after extra time, advancing 6–5 on aggregate.

Who scored twice against Manchester City in the second leg?

Rodrygo scored two late goals that brought Real Madrid level on aggregate and forced the semi-final into extra time.

Conclusion

Real Madrid's 2021/22 Champions League campaign cannot be reduced to one goal or one player.

The compilation shows a season in which different players repeatedly supplied important moments. Rodrygo contributed early and then produced one of the competition's most dramatic late doubles. Marco Asensio provided spectacular finishing. Vinícius Júnior developed into a decisive attacking threat. And Karim Benzema delivered a remarkable 15-goal European campaign.

The knockout rounds gave those goals an even greater meaning.

Against PSG, goals turned a difficult second leg into a comeback. Against Chelsea, Benzema's finishing helped Madrid survive a demanding quarter-final. Against Manchester City, Rodrygo's late double and Benzema's penalty produced another extraordinary turnaround.

Then, in Paris, Vinícius Júnior scored the goal that completed the journey.

The final result was a 1–0 victory over Liverpool and Real Madrid's 14th European Cup.

That is what makes a compilation like this more than a collection of football clips. Watched from beginning to end, the goals form a chronological record of how Real Madrid moved through the 2021/22 Champions League, one decisive moment at a time.

Watch the full compilation above to revisit the goals that carried Real Madrid from the group stage all the way to European glory in Paris.