Triumphs and Heartbreaks in the Champions League

In every Champions League playoff, fans always remember a few great matches for years. A game can become legendary for various reasons: a comeback, a shocking collapse, an unpredictable scoreline, or a relentless goal fest. Whether you're reminiscing about a thrilling game or sharing your sport betting wins, these elements of fiery matches can impress even your non-sports colleague at the office.

FootyRoom has compiled five unforgettable Champions League playoff matches from different seasons.

2019/2020 Season: Barcelona 2–8 Bayern Munich

This match is especially cherished by Barcelona and Lionel Messi haters. Even in hockey, Barcelona suffered a humiliating defeat with an inappropriate score, and the Catalan leader was far from his best.

Bayern and Barca met in the quarterfinals. It was the first Champions League tournament in the COVID-19 era, and the playoff stage was played in a shortened format. Starting from the quarterfinals, teams played only one match per round, all held in Lisbon to minimize COVID-19 risks and avoid unnecessary travel. The tournament took place in August. From the start of the playoffs, Bayern was seen as one of the leading contenders for the trophy. Still, no one could have predicted how severely they would crush Barcelona.

The opponents started strong. After a quick goal by Thomas Müller, Barca responded with an own goal by David Alaba — 1-1 by the 7th minute. But Barcelona couldn’t handle Bayern’s pressing. Barca conceded three goals in just ten minutes, which knocked them out. The first half ended 4-1 in Bayern’s favor, and the game was effectively over. Barcelona couldn’t keep up, didn’t know how to attack, and was positionally weaker.

In the second half, Barca added a glimmer of intrigue. Luis Suárez made it 2-4 in the 57th minute, but just six minutes later, Joshua Kimmich restored Bayern’s three-goal advantage. It was clear that Hansi Flick's team would not let this match slip away.

If the game had ended 2-5, Barcelona would have been left with pain and humiliation, but without the disgrace that will be remembered for years. However, in the closing stages, Bayern scored three more goals in ten minutes. In the 82nd minute, Coutinho assisted Robert Lewandowski for his moment, and then the Brazilian, on loan from Barcelona, scored twice within five minutes.

"A nightmare of a game, terrible feelings, 'disgrace' is the right word. You can’t play like that in European competitions, and this isn’t the first, second, or third time it’s happened to us. It's very tough, and I hope we can learn a useful lesson from this," said Barca defender Gerard Piqué after the 2-8 defeat. Everyone called that game a nightmare for Barcelona.

2018/2019 Season: Manchester City 4–3 Tottenham Hotspur

The 2018/2019 Champions League playoff had its fair share of dramatic games with incredible finishes, comebacks, or thrilling storylines. The second leg between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur in the quarterfinals was one of the most remarkable. City, coached by Pep Guardiola, were seen as the favorites. City had demolished Schalke 04 in the previous round with a 10-2 aggregate score, while Spurs defeated Borussia Dortmund 4-0.

The first leg in London saw Tottenham secure a confident 1-0 win. All eyes were now on the second leg in Manchester, where everyone expected a different game.

The second leg started fantastically. In the 4th minute, Raheem Sterling put City ahead. But in the 7th minute, Son Heung-Min equalized, and by the 10th, he had scored again. City responded quickly with a goal from Bernardo Silva—2-2. It was the first time in Champions League history that four goals had been scored in the first 11 minutes of a game. Fans and coaches alike were in shock.

In the 21st minute, Sterling scored 3-2, but City still needed one more goal and had to ensure that the Spurs didn’t score again. Guardiola's men continued to press and, in the 59th minute, got the goal that seemed to put them through to the semifinals. Now it was Tottenham's turn to attack, while City had to defend.

In the middle of the second half, Spurs scored again through Fernando Llorente, and City threw everything at Tottenham’s goal. City thought they had won in injury time when they scored a fifth goal. Guardiola and his players celebrated, but the drama wasn’t over: after a VAR review, the goal was disallowed for offside. Thanks to the away goal rule, Tottenham advanced to the next round.

"It’s cruel, but it is what it is. We have to accept it," said Guardiola after the game. Tottenham's coach, Mauricio Pochettino, commented on his team's historic semifinal qualification: "It was incredible, especially the ending. I’m so happy and proud. My players are real heroes. I’m incredibly happy for them and our fans. At one point, your head is full of thoughts, and you feel immense disappointment, but everything changes with one decision. That’s why we love football."

2018/2019 Season: Liverpool 4–0 Barcelona

As painful as it may be for Barcelona fans to admit, their beloved team has been a frequent target of mockery in recent years. In May 2019, during the semifinals, Barcelona faced Liverpool, offering hope in the first leg but turning it into another nightmare in the second.

At Camp Nou, Barca secured a 3-0 win, giving them a comfortable advantage ahead of the second leg at Anfield. However, the scoreline didn’t reflect the balance of play.

Before the game in Liverpool, Barcelona was under more pressure than Liverpool, as the Catalans had more to lose. The media had been speculating that Liverpool could pull off a comeback, and Barca had a history of squandering three-goal leads after the first leg.

Barcelona likely planned to defend their advantage throughout the game, conceding a goal or two at most to reach the final. But Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool had other plans. In the 7th minute, Liverpool scored a quick goal, firing the crowd even more. Both teams had chances before halftime, but the score remained 1-0.

The match was decided between the 54th and 56th minutes, when Liverpool scored twice, leveling the tie. Barcelona crumbled and had no answer in the new reality. Liverpool kept pushing, and in the 79th minute, after a cleverly taken corner, they scored their fourth goal. Barcelona tried to find a response but seemed helpless.

That night became a dark chapter for Barcelona and a historic one for Liverpool, who went on to win the Champions League. Reports claimed that Lionel Messi cried in the locker room after the game, while other Barca players were stunned. Meanwhile, Liverpool celebrated a moment that would be remembered with pride for years.

Season 2017/2018: Real Madrid vs Juventus (1-3)

2018, Juventus and Real Madrid faced off in the Champions League quarterfinals, having met in the final less than a year before. In the first leg, Real dominated both in play and on the scoreboard, winning 3-0 away and entering the home game with a comfortable lead.

While the Champions League had seen comebacks before, they weren't a regular occurrence, so only Juventus' most die-hard local fans believed in a turnaround. Juventus started the game energetically, and within the second minute, their forward Mario Mandzukic scored the opening goal. Later in the first half, the Croatian netted a second, putting Zinedine Zidane’s team in an uncomfortable position. Real's dominant advantage had now shrunk to just one goal.

Real had their chances in the second half, but Gianluigi Buffon kept saving his team. Then, in the 60th minute, Juventus fully returned to the contest by making it 3-0. Despite this, Real did not crumble.

One of the most crucial moments of the two-legged tie came in stoppage time when the game seemed to be heading for extra time. Juventus defender Benatia, in referee Michael Oliver's opinion, fouled Lucas Vázquez inside the box. The referee pointed to the spot, giving Real a last-minute chance to resolve the tie in their favor. Buffon was furious with the decision and aggressively argued against the penalty.

His protests earned him a straight red card, and Wojciech Szczęsny came on to try and save the penalty. Cristiano Ronaldo confidently converted, and despite Juventus's three-goal comeback, they were knocked out of the tournament.

After the game, Buffon did not hold back. He claimed the penalty was only "one-tenth of a real penalty" and called the incident highly debatable. According to Juventus' goalkeeper, in such a critical situation, where a contentious penalty could decide the fate of a team, the referee shouldn't have awarded the spot-kick. "The team gave everything, and one person can't destroy dreams like that after an incredible comeback," Buffon lamented. He famously remarked that the referee had "a trash can instead of a heart."

Season 2016/2017: Barcelona vs PSG (6-1)

Some might protest that Barcelona has appeared multiple times in this collection, but consider this: every mentioned match involving the Catalans became legendary and remains memorable. The same goes for their second-leg match against Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 of the 2016/2017 season. The first leg ended 4-0 in favor of PSG, and it was hard to believe that Barcelona could mount a comeback. After all, no team in Champions League history had ever overturned a four-goal deficit.

In the return leg, playing at home, Barcelona applied constant pressure, dominated possession, and took more shots on goal. They started the comeback early, with Luis Suárez scoring in the third minute. However, PSG managed to withstand Barcelona's attacks for most of the game, and time was running out. By the end of the first half, Barcelona had scored a second goal, although PSG still had a significant advantage.

Then, early in the second half, Messi scored from a penalty, making it 3-0. PSG started to feel the pressure. Later, PSG responded with a goal from Edinson Cavani, which seemed to seal their fate: scoring three more goals in half an hour looked nearly impossible for Barcelona.

The most dramatic part of the match came near the end when Barcelona's progress seemed miraculous. First, Neymar scored a brilliant free-kick. Then, in stoppage time, the Brazilian converted a penalty that many considered questionable and outright invented. Finally, in the fifth minute of stoppage time, Sergi Roberto scored the crucial sixth goal, knocking PSG out of the tournament. The Camp Nou erupted!

Many called this match a "Barcelona miracle," some said it was the best match they'd ever seen, while others were furious with the refereeing, claiming Barcelona had been dragged into the next round by dubious decisions. Regardless, that five-year-old comeback is still frequently discussed in varied contexts.

Published by Patrick Jane
22.10.2024