Five spectacular Champions League comebacks - UEFA Champions League
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Drama is guaranteed in this week's UEFA Champions League semi-final second legs, as both the defending champions and their predecessors have their backs to the wall as they seek to overturn a deficit in front of their own fans. While Real Madrid lost 2-1 away to Juventus in the first leg, Bayern Munich are hoping to bounce back from the 3-0 bruising they suffered in Barcelona.
The 2013 champions, in particular, need a minor miracle in order to reach the final in Berlin. Yet sensational fight backs are not as rare as you might think. Take the legendary 1999 final in Barcelona, for instance: 16 years ago Bayern were leading 1-0 heading into stoppage-time only to lose 2-1 to Manchester United in what some would say was the mother of all defeats. The 2005 title-decider was equally memorable, with Liverpool 3-0 down at half-time against AC Milan in Istanbul, only to turn the game on its head and win on penalties.
But what about comebacks after big defeats in the first game of a two-legged tie? FIFA.com recalls five of the most spectacular in the history of Europe’s elite club competition.
12 March 2013
Round of 16, second leg
Barcelona 4-0 AC Milan (AC Milan won the first leg 2-0)
A brace from Lionel Messi helped Barcelona become the first team to overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit in Champions League history. The Argentinian superstar levelled the aggregate score before the break and in the second half the Rossoneri had no answer to the Catalans’ relentless attacks, with goals from David Villa and Jordi Alba sealing the victory. Barcelona progressed, but were comprehensively, and unexpectedly, beaten by Bayern in the semi-finals, losing 4-0 in Munich and 3-0 on home turf.
7 April 2004
Quarter-finals, second leg
Monaco 3-1 Real Madrid (Madrid won the first leg 4-2)
Not only did Monaco lose 4-2 in the first leg away to Real Madrid, they went 1-0 down to a 36th minute strike from Raul in the return game in front of their own fans. Nobody expected the underdogs to claw their way back against the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Ronaldo and Co, but a Ludovic Giuly brace and a goal from Madrid loanee Fernando Morientes of all people sent the Spaniards tumbling out of the competition in dramatic fashion. Monaco even went as far as the final that year, only to lose to Porto.
6 April 2004
Quarter-finals, second leg
Deportivo La Coruna 4-0 AC Milan (AC Milan won the first leg 4-1)
Over a decade has now passed since this game, but nevertheless barely a day goes by in northern Spain without football fans recalling this legendary evening. After Depor lost the first leg 4-1 in the San Siro, goals from Walter Pandiani, Juan Carlos Valeron and Albert Luque in the first half of the second leg put them in charge of tie before half-time. Substitute Fran added a fourth after the break to seal a 4-0 victory and complete the miracle of La Coruna.
18 April 2000
Quarter-finals, second leg
Barcelona 5-1 Chelsea (aet), (Chelsea won the first leg 3-1)
After the Catalans surprisingly lost the first leg at Stamford Bridge 3-1, they needed extra time at Camp Nou to turn the tie around after Rivaldo hit the post with a penalty in normal time. The Brazilian made amends from the spot in the 99th minute, before his Dutch strike partner Patrick Kluivert added another to make the final score 5-1 on the night.
15 September 1993
First round, second leg
FC Copenhagen 4-0 Linfield (Linfield won the first leg 3-0)
After a comfortable win in the first leg in Belfast, the Northern Irish side had one foot in the second round, which preceded the group stage at that time. Yet the Danes refused to give up and goals from Peter Moller and Martin Johansen gave them a foothold in the tie with barely half an hour played in the second leg. Lars Hojer Nielsen levelled matters on aggregate in the 90th minute, before substitute Kim Mikkelsen hit a stoppage-time winner to spark wild celebrations in the Danish capital. However, in the second round Copenhagen were comfortably beaten 6-0 and 1-0 by eventual champions AC Milan.