Classic UEFA Champions League encounters

The UEFA Champions league (UCL) is the most elite club competition in Europe which has produced many classic games, some of which have gained more popularity than others and are reminisced by fans all around the world, like the 2005 UCL final between Liverpool and AC Milan and the 1999 final between Man United and Bayern Munich.

In this article, we take a look at some of the other classic UCL encounters that set the hearts racing and produced delirious moments for players and fans alike. 

SV Werder Bremen 5-3 RSC Anderlecht (1993/94)

Like the 2005 UCL final is referred to as the “Miracle of Istanbul”, this group game from the 1993/94 campaign is remembered as the “Wonder of the Weser”.

Werder Bremen were on the verge of dropping out of the Champions League at the group stage, being 3-0 down with just a little over 20 minutes of regular time remaining. However, their manager Otto Rehhagel was an optimist who still believed his team could make a comeback.

And boy, oh boy did they do just that.

Werder forward Wynton Rufer was the key difference with his brace (66′, 89′), while Rune Bratseth, Marco Bode, and Bernd Hobsch were the other goal-scorers who took their side into the Round of 16 in front of a disbelieving and joyous crowd. 

Even though this wasn’t a knock-out game, the context was similar and hence it is remembered as one of the most unforgettable Champions League encounters.

Juventus FC 2-3 Manchester United FC (1998/99)

This is another encounter that will remain forever etched in the memory of football fans, especially those from the red side of Manchester.

United came into the second leg of this semi-final tie in Turin tied 1-1 against a mighty Juventus side and needed an away goal to seal the tie in their favour. However, Juventus raced to a 2-0 lead in the first half, dampening the United spirits.

All was not lost, however, and the second half saw an inspired captain’s performance from Roy Keane who scored the first away goal and also defended stoutly. Dwight Yorke then scored the second to level the game at 2-2, and an Andy Cole tap-in ensured Juventus didn’t win the tie, taking United to their second Champions League final after almost three decades.

AS Monaco 3-1 Real Madrid CF (2003/04)

The Real Madrid side of the 2003/04 season was one team no one wanted to play against. They boasted world class players like Zinedine Zidane, Raúl González, and Ronaldo, but when Fernando Morientes came up against his own team (he was on loan at Monaco for the season from Real Madrid), he produced the performance of a lifetime.

Monaco were 5-2 down on aggregate going into the last 45 minutes of the tie when Morientes led a stunning comeback to defeat the Galácticos. He assisted Ludovic Giuly for the opener and then scored the second. The tie was then decided in Monaco’s favour when Giuly scored the third, dumping the European giants out of the competition.

Deportivo de La Coruña 4-0 AC Milan (2003/04)

This was a wildly dramatic tie in the Champions League, as no one till then had overturned a three-goal deficit from the first leg. What made it even more difficult for Deportivo was their high-quality opposition.

In the first leg of this quarter-final side, Milan had beaten Deportivo 4-1 at home and looked like going through to the semis, but the Spanish side had other ideas. 

Deportivo’s Walter Pandiani opened the scoring within five minutes in the second leg, with Juan Carlos Valerón scoring the second. Albert Luque then put Deportivo in the driving seat after scoring the third. Fran González then added to Milan’s misery by adding a fourth goal on the day, handing his side a lead on aggregate the Rossoneri would not recover from.

Borussia Dortmund vs Málaga CF (2012/13)

This year is often remembered for the lesser-known Spanish side, as Málaga’s run to the Champions League quarters came about during their first and only appearance in the competition.

Málaga were almost on their way to the semis after taking a shock 2-1 lead in the dying minutes of the second-leg, with Jürgen Klopp’s Dortmund needing two goals to make a comeback. 

Marco Reus then offered a sliver of hope when he levelled the score in injury time, but it was the BVB defender Felipe Santana who stole the show with a winner in the final seconds of the game.

FC Barcelona 6-1 Paris Saint-Germain FC (2016/17)

This was one of the most unreal comebacks ever played in Champions League history. Trailing 4-0 in the away leg in Paris, Barça needed to score at least five goals to win the tie and progress to the quarters.

As improbable as it seemed, the Blaugrana were up 3-0 and looked like achieving their target, but an Edinson Cavani goal made their task even tougher. 

With three more goals required in less than 30 minutes, Barça upped the ante even more, with Neymar scoring a quick brace by the 88th minute and defender Sergi Roberto completing the unbelievable comeback in the 95th minute, leaving PSG fans in utter shock and disbelief.

AFC Ajax 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur FC (2018/19)

The 2018/19 Champions League season saw many a dramatic game. It was one of the best seasons in UCL history with many high-quality encounters, and this semi-final second-leg tie played at the Johan Cruyff Arena was one of them. 

Ajax had won the away tie 1-0 thanks to a Donny van de Beek goal and even took a 2-0 lead at home through Matthijs de Ligt and Hakim Ziyech to take the aggregate score to 3-0.

Ajax were on the verge of a historic Champions League final, but Spurs had other ideas. What unfolded then was nothing short of a miracle. An inspired substitution from Mauricio Pochettino saw Lucas Moura come off the bench and score two quick goals. He then completed his hattrick in stoppage time to hand the tie to Spurs, taking them to their first Champions League final on away goals.

Liverpool FC 4-0 FC Barcelona (2018/19)

This was another classic Champions League encounter that Liverpool fans will never forget, and one Barça fans won’t want to remember.

Liverpool lost the first leg 3-0 owing to the sheer brilliance of Lionel Messi. Playing with a depleted forward line in the second leg, Liverpool were given not even a shred of chance to win the tie against a strong Barcelona side.

What happened next, however, was stuff of dreams. Liverpool forward Divock Origi scored within ten minutes after kick-off to give his ride the perfect start, but the Reds ended the first half needing three more goals.

Jürgen Klopp then made an inspired substitution, bringing on midfielder Gini Wijnaldum, who scored a brace in six minutes to level the score 3-3 on aggregate. Urged on by a roaring Anfield, Liverpool then performed one of the cheekiest moments on a football pitch when their right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, catching the Barça defenders off-guard, took a quick corner that saw Origi tap the ball into the net, thereby sending Liverpool to a second consecutive Champions League final.