To retreat with difficulty (8)
I believe the answer is:
drawback
'difficulty' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
I can't explain the remainder of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for drawback that I've seen before include "Hindrance - disadvantage" , "Disadvantage, problem" , "Catch" , "Fly in the ointment" , "Snag" .)