Long after the final whistle had gone here, Club Brugge’s fans were still singing high in the north stand, their players back out on the pitch celebrating with them. This was a big occasion and a big result for the Belgians and yet, while there were no signs of regret, they knew it could have been even bigger. For most of a night their coach, Philippe Clement, described as “historic” they had led with two goals from Emmanuel Bonaventure, but headers from Sergio Ramos and Casemiro, the latter in the 86th minute, had seen it end level.
The rest of the stadium stood empty, Madrid’s fans making their way home knowing that it could have been worse: for them too, this finishing 2-2 was a success, given where they had come from.