MADRID — And so here we are again, wondering if Real Madrid can summon the energy and conjure the magic one last time. Carlo Ancelotti’s team looked beaten, dazed even, against Paris St.-Germain. That was two months ago. It seemed defeated, exhausted, against Chelsea. That was four weeks ago. It is still standing. In the Champions League, at least, Real Madrid has the air of a team that has forgotten how to lose.
There is an element of self-fulfilling prophecy about Real Madrid in this competition. It wins because that is what it does. It is infused with a sense of purpose, of absolute belief, as soon as it hears that music, as soon as it glimpses that cup.