SurREAL: Two goals down in injury time, 178 minutes behind and still in the UCL final! The Royals are out of this world

Two-time NBA champion with Houston Rockets, coach Rudy Tomjanovich is often cited for his saying 'Never underestimate the heart of a champion'. And although he made his name in basketball, we couldn't but think of his words of wisdom while watching Real Madrid. Both last night and through the entire Champions League campaign this season.

Real couldn't come back from a goal down, so they came back from TWO goals down! Los Blancos make the final!

Carlo Ancelotti's slot has made the most usual thing of mouthwatering comebacks three rounds in a row. Such outcomes demonstrate football skills aside, an impressive amount of confidence and character in the Royals' squad. Together with their boss, Carletto the Eyebrow, they have shown a mental strength that is out of this world. Because if you bounce back from such abysmal - 178 out of 180 minutes they were behind City, and two goals down on aggregate in the stoppage time at the Bernabeu - then you're an undisputable champion, regardless of the result against Liverpool in the Paris showdown.

And just imagine how Salah, Mane, Keita and the other Reds feel right now, aware of the fact they will be facing a cat with much more than nine lives.

Salah has no doubt: "It's payback time, we want Real Madrid"

One will say the Scousers will have an easier task since it will be a single game, played far away from the inferno of Santiago Bernabeu under construction - the place where all three giants (PSG, Chelsea, City) were brought down to earth in the return legs.

Benzema's header in overtime saves Real in the best CL game this season

Comeback to end all comebacks! Karim Benzema hits three goals in 27 minutes to destroy Paris

Sure, the home-court advantage and the influence of the fans' support do count, but the Royals couldn't pull this off if it wasn't for their own.

Playing for the club that has won that beautiful trophy 13 times, which is far more than any other club in the world, obviously plays a significant role when you're dealing with, for instance, a recently built superpower that is yet to clinch its first European silverware.

In the article that will concentrate on City's flaws you're about to read today, we'll focus on the lack of personalities in Pep's squad. And it's totally opposite in Ancelotti's team.

Yes, his full-backs, Carvajal, Nacho and others, can't come close to the Citizens' counterparts; his wings are not sharp as Foden and Mahrez; his team's spine Kroos-Modric-Benzema is 102 years old altogether, and we could go on like this entire morning. But... and there's always a 'but' when it comes to Los Blancos - they have all the ingredients champions are made of.

First of all, a tactician with vast experience who doesn't make a science out of the beautiful football game but acts and reacts like a smooth operator, who's there to change the course once the ship makes the wrong turn.

Hey kid, let your uncle tell you a little story about poking the bear...

Secondly, along with their remarkable skills with the ball, you ought to have players capable of finding ways and motivation when things go wrong. They don't say it for no reason, 'fake it till you make it'. There's nothing easier than being a member of the team that batters its rivals and is in front all the time. But at one moment, you'll inevitably find yourself in a one-way street driving in the wrong direction, and if there's no mental skill there, a dead-end will look you straight in the eyes (who said PSG at the Bernabeu...).

Where do the Saints go after yet another year of infamy in the Champions League?

Carletto's boys were like bloodhound dogs on Wednesday night despite being two goals down with 90 minutes of the rematch gone. They believed in victory then much more than City's players once the extra-time started, with the teams level on aggregate.

THU: 22.00: (2.30) ROMA (3.40) LEICESTER (3.45)

You didn't need to be a body language master to see who's winning it even before that Benzema's decider. It was blatantly clear just by watching the behaviour of both sides during the break.

Last but not least, the power of habit is one of the most important in life, let alone in sports. No matter how funny it might sound to you, Real Madrid have developed the habit of dealing with those big, do-or-die games over the years. Los Blancos have been in 10 of the last 12 Champions League semifinals, winning the title four times. With such numbers and the tradition that goes alongside, it's inevitable to develop an almost unbreakable habit that will push you ahead once it matters. Just like the habit of losing pours in some invisible fear into those teams that are accustomed to seeing the title slip away through their fingers (who said Man City...).

That's, in short, the nuance or two that made the difference between the Wednesday's rivals and provided us with one of the craziest Champions League nights ever. One would say it was surReal.

By: Bojan Babic