UEFA has granted Real Madrid permission to close the retractable roof of the Santiago Bernabeu for their Champions League quarter-final second leg against Arsenal.
Trailing by three goals from the first leg, Los Blancos are hoping to harness the full power of their home support in Madrid as they attempt a dramatic comeback under the closed dome.
While La Liga allows clubs to control whether their stadium roofs remain open or shut, UEFA competitions require express approval from the governing body.
As reported by SportBible via Mirror, Madrid’s request to shut the roof has been approved. Importantly, once a match begins, the roof must remain in its chosen position throughout, across both domestic and European fixtures.
This is not the first time Real Madrid has opted to play under a closed roof in Europe. Last season saw similar decisions during their Champions League campaign, including the semi-final against Bayern Munich.
Reflecting on the impact of the closed setting, Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti previously highlighted its advantages, “Acoustically it’s different, there’s more noise, a much better atmosphere, I think. That can encourage the team to be even more motivated.”
Real Madrid have maintained a dominant home form in this season’s Champions League, dropping points only once, a group stage defeat to AC Milan, where ex-Madrid forward Alvaro Morata led his side to a 3-1 win.
In the play-off round, the Spanish side knocked out defending champions Manchester City, with Kylian Mbappe netting a home-leg hat-trick.
They also overcame local rivals Atletico Madrid in the round of 16, winning 2-1 at home before eventually advancing via penalties after a 1-0 second-leg defeat.
