The UEFA Champions League has delivered unforgettable moments, but few are as iconic as the dramatic comebacks that have defined its knockout rounds. From last-minute goals to seemingly impossible deficits overturned, here’s a look at the biggest Champions League comebacks in history.
Four-Goal Turnarounds:
Barcelona vs Paris Saint-Germain: 2016-17 (Round of 16) First Leg: PSG 4-0 Barcelona Second Leg: Barcelona 6-1 PSG
Three-Goal Turnarounds:
Liverpool vs Barcelona: 2018-19 (Semi-Finals) First Leg: Barcelona 3-0 Liverpool Second Leg: Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Roma vs Barcelona: 2017-18 (Quarter-Finals) First Leg: Barcelona 4-1 Roma Second Leg: Roma 3-0 Barcelona
Deportivo La Coruña vs Milan: 2003-04 (Quarter-Finals) First Leg: Milan 4-1 Deportivo La Coruña Second Leg: Deportivo La Coruña 4-0 Milan
Two-Goal Turnarounds:
Juventus vs Atlético Madrid: 2018-19 (Last 16) First Leg: Atlético Madrid 2-0 JuventusSecond Leg: Juventus 3-0 Atlético Madrid
Manchester United vs Paris Saint-Germain: 2018-19 (Last 16) First Leg: Man Utd 0-2 PSGSecond Leg: PSG 1-3 Man Utd
Monaco vs Manchester City: 2016-17 (Last 16) First Leg: Man City 5-3 MonacoSecond Leg: Monaco 3-1 Man City
Real Madrid vs Wolfsburg: 2015-16 (Quarter-Finals) First Leg: Wolfsburg 2-0 Real MadridSecond Leg: Real Madrid 3-0 Wolfsburg
Bayern Munich vs Porto: 2014-15 (Quarter-Finals) First Leg: Porto 3-1 Bayern MunichSecond Leg: Bayern Munich 6-1 Porto
Chelsea vs Paris Saint-Germain: 2013-14 (Quarter-Finals) First Leg: PSG 3-1 ChelseaSecond Leg: Chelsea 2-0 PSG
Manchester United vs Olympiakos: 2013-14 (Last 16) First Leg: Olympiakos 2-0 Man UtdSecond Leg: Man Utd 3-0 Olympiakos
Barcelona vs Milan: 2012-13 (Last 16) First Leg: Milan 2-0 BarcelonaSecond Leg: Barcelona 4-0 Milan
Chelsea vs Napoli: 2011-12 (Last 16) First Leg: Napoli 3-1 ChelseaSecond Leg: Chelsea 4-1 Napoli (aet)
Monaco vs Real Madrid: 2003-04 (Quarter-Finals) First Leg: Real Madrid 4-2 MonacoSecond Leg: Monaco 3-1 Real Madrid
Barcelona vs Chelsea: 1999-00 (Quarter-Finals) First Leg: Chelsea 3-1 BarcelonaSecond Leg: Barcelona 5-1 Chelsea (aet)
Four-Goal Turnarounds
Barcelona vs Paris Saint-Germain: 2016-17 (Round of 16) First Leg: PSG 4-0 Barcelona Second Leg: Barcelona 6-1 PSG
It has only happened once in the history of the UEFA Champions League, but the classic ‘Remontada’ saw Barcelona overturn a four-goal deficit in their round-of-16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
The first leg couldn’t have gone much better for the Parisians. Having lost their previous two knockout encounters with Barcelona in 2012-13 and 2014-15, they struck first through Ángel Di María’s free-kick and Julian Draxler doubled the lead before half-time. Di María added another brilliant effort after the break and Edinson Cavani capped off a famous 4-0 win.
Barcelona managed just one shot on target across the 90 minutes, though the game was still closely contested on expected goals.
At Camp Nou, however, something magical stirred. Luis Suárez opened the scoring early on, heading home despite Thomas Meunier’s best efforts on the line. A freak own-goal from Layvin Kurzawa while attempting to clear Andrés Iniesta’s audacious backheel then made it 2-0 before half-time.
Just three minutes after the restart, Barcelona were awarded a penalty when Meunier tripped Neymar. Lionel Messi duly converted it, but PSG hit back through Cavani, seemingly ending the contest. With the away goals rule in effect, Barcelona needed to score three more to advance.
Then came Neymar’s blitz: a stunning free-kick made it 4-1, a calmly taken penalty brought it to 5-1, and an inch-perfect cross in the dying seconds of stoppage time found Sergi Roberto, who arrived at the back post to score Barcelona’s sixth and send Camp Nou into delirium.
Barcelona’s run ended in the next round at the hands of Juventus, however. On that occasion, there was no miracle as a 3-0 first-leg loss in Turin was followed by a goalless draw at home. But the Remontada lives on as perhaps the most extraordinary comeback in Champions League history.
Three-Goal Turnarounds
Liverpool vs Barcelona: 2018-19 (Semi-Finals) First Leg: Barcelona 3-0 Liverpool Second Leg: Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Barcelona were chasing a treble. In the first leg at Camp Nou, Suárez netted their 500th Champions League goal and Messi added two more – the second a stunning free-kick that marked his 600th strike for the club, exactly 14 years after his first against Albacete in May 2005.
Liverpool had chances to score an away goal but couldn’t convert, losing their sixth consecutive away leg in a European semi-final. Still, the scene was set for another magical Anfield night.
Divock Origi began the comeback inside seven minutes, becoming the 50th different player to score for Liverpool in the competition (excluding own goals). But the tie really turned on its head in the space of 122 seconds after half-time with a double courtesy of Georginio Wijnaldum, who was only on the pitch due to an injury to Andy Robertson.
Messi tried to stem the Liverpool tide, either attempting (five) or creating (three) all eight of Barcelona’s shots in the match. But even the Argentinian maestro could do nothing when Trent Alexander-Arnold caught the Catalan defence napping at a corner, allowing Origi to stroke home and trigger pandemonium in the Kop.
Having suffered heartache in the Champions League final the year before, this time Liverpool weren’t to be denied a sixth European Cup/Champions League triumph in just their ninth final, defeating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0.
Roma vs Barcelona: 2017-18 (Quarter-Finals) First Leg: Barcelona 4-1 Roma Second Leg: Roma 3-0 Barcelona
Having missed out on the semi-finals the year before, Barcelona were hoping to go one better in the 2017-18 season – especially with Ernesto Valverde’s side nine points clear at the top of La Liga ahead of the first leg against Roma. They had their eyes on a potential treble as a place in the Copa del Rey final had already been confirmed.
They swept Roma aside in the first leg in Camp Nou, helped by two own-goals and a rare Suárez Champions League strike (his first in 31 attempts that season). Edin Džeko’s late away goal, though, gave Roma a glimmer of hope.
And six minutes into the second leg at Stadio Olimpico, the Bosnian gave them belief.
Patrik Schick then went close before Gerard Piqué fouled Džeko in the box. Daniele De Rossi, making his 600th Roma appearance, stepped up and converted. With the away goals rule in play, one more would send Roma through.
The Giallorossi continued to press for the goal that would see them advance, and with eight minutes remaining, it came courtesy of Kostas Manolas, producing one of the most iconic lines of English football commentary from the modern era by Peter Drury:
Roma have risen from their ruins! Manolas, the Greek God in Rome! The unthinkable unfolds before our eyes. This was not meant to happen. This could not happen. This IS happening. It’s a Greek from Mount Olympus who has come to the seven hills of Rome and pulled off a miracle.
It ended a 34-year wait for Roma to reach the semi-finals of the European Cup/Champions League – but their dream crumbled at the penultimate hurdle, losing to eventual runners-up Liverpool.
Deportivo La Coruña vs Milan: 2003-04 (Quarter-Finals) First Leg: Milan 4-1 Deportivo La Coruña Second Leg: Deportivo La Coruña 4-0 Milan
The defending champions, stacked with the talents of Kaká, Andrea Pirlo, Andriy Shevchenko, Paolo Maldini and more, were expected to cruise past Deportivo. And in San Siro, they looked unstoppable.
Walter Pandiani had briefly silenced the home crowd early on, but two goals from Kaká, and one each from Shevchenko and Pirlo flipped the tie, and Milan were 4-1 up heading to Spain.
But Deportivo were not done. Pandiani struck first again – this time after just five minutes in the second leg. Juan Carlos Valerón and Albert Luque added two more to tie the aggregate score before half-time, capitalising on uncharacteristic mistakes from Maldini and Alessandro Nesta.
With the away goals rule in their favour, Deportivo could have sat back, but they pressed on. Their fourth came from Fran after Gennaro Gattuso’s misplaced clearance.
Deportivo completed a stunning 5-4 aggregate win, securing their spot in a surprising semi-final line-up that included Chelsea, Monaco and FC Porto, where a certain ‘Special One’ was announcing himself on the continental stage.
Honourable Mention: The Miracle of Istanbul
But while reminiscing about some of the greatest nights in Champions League history, it would be remiss of us to ignore Istanbul. It wasn’t a two-legged tie, hence its exclusion from the list above, but discussions of the greatest Champions League comebacks would be incomplete without the 2005 final.
Paolo Maldini gave Milan the lead with less than a minute on the clock, before a Hernán Crespo double saw them lead 3-0 going into half-time.
Liverpool fought back over the course of seven second-half minutes, however, with Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso all scoring – the Spaniard’s coming on the rebound after missing a penalty, in hindsight a sign that fortune was on their side.
The sides couldn’t be separated in 90 minutes, and the Reds then had to be grateful for Jerzy Dudek keeping out Shevchenko’s close-range effort with three minutes left in extra-time.
And the Polish goalkeeper proved his worth in the subsequent penalty shootout, making a hat-trick of saves from Serginho, Pirlo and, decisively, Shevchenko as Liverpool claimed the unlikeliest of wins.
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