Mourinho's Madrid grows fond of playing with fire

Real Madrid have won five of their 15 matches this season with late goals, including comebacks from 2-1 down and 3-1 down, showing a pattern of dramatic finishes under Mourinho.

Real Madrid have developed a habit of dramatic late-game comebacks under José Mourinho this season. On Wednesday, they trailed 2-1 until the 75th minute before winning 3-2 by full time. Earlier in the Champions League, they came back from 3-1 down against Roma with goals in the 83rd, 85th and 90th minutes to win 4-3.

The pattern extends beyond European competition. In La Liga, Madrid have won multiple matches with goals after the 85th minute, including Mbappé's 87th-minute winner in the latest Clásico and Carlos Espí's 91st-minute goal in the 3-2 win over Elche. They also won their opening match against Cornellà with a late goal from the Valencia-born forward.

In total, Real Madrid have resolved five of their 15 matches this season in the final stages—roughly one-third of their games. While the comebacks provide excitement for supporters, the pattern carries significant risk and could eventually prove costly.