Biggest comebacks in Champions League history: Man City, PSG, Barcelona and other most memorable collapses
As Villarreal turned on the jets in the first half of the Champions League semifinal second leg match against Liverpool, fans wondered where this might rank among the great comebacks — and collapses — in Champions League history.
Liverpool did their part in the second half, ensuring the Reds would not find themselves on the wrong side of history. Jurgen Klopp brought on Luis Diaz for the second half, and the swap worked to perfection, seeing Liverpool pummel the Spanish club through the final 45 minutes and secure three goals to emphatically avoid embarrassment.
Manchester City, however, were not so lucky, or mentally strong. It was all going well for at the Santiago Bernabeu… until, in a blink of an eye, it wasn’t. Real Madrid stormed back in front, and Pep Guardiola found himself with yet another Champions League disappointment at the helm of City.
Even the most powerful teams across Europe are capable of finding themselves on the wrong end of a memorable list. Sporting News brings you a look back at the biggest collapses in Champions League history.
MORE: 2021-22 Champions League top goalscorers
Biggest collapses in Champions League history
Bernabeu Bedlam: Real Madrid storm back vs. Man City (2021-22 semifinals)
Carlo Ancelotti had willed a flawed Real Madrid side to the semifinals of the Champions League, but it seemed that the magic had finally run out.
The Madrid boss, down 4-3 after the first leg and 5-3 on aggregate after Riyad Mahrez’s 73rd-minute goal, made two prayer substitutions, hoping for a miracle. He brought on Rodrygo, replacing midfield engine Toni Kroos, looking to fully embrace the chaotic flair that saw Los Blancos to this stage in the first place.
It worked like a charm. Rodrygo scored in the 90th minute to give Madrid hope, and the substitute struck again two minutes later to stun Man City and send the game to extra time. The second goal was an exquisite header that found the top corner, a thunderous effort.
Today was the first time ever that Man City conceded multiple goals in the 90th minute or later under Pep Guardiola.
It couldn’t come at a worse time 😰 pic.twitter.com/psoubk2H5w
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 4, 2022
TWO GOALS IN TWO MINUTES FROM RODRYGO TO LEVEL THE TIE. BERNABEU BEDLAM! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/UAr6zwvhm2
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 4, 2022
Then, with the game in extra time on a 5-5 aggregate score and Madrid holding all the momentum, Ruben Dias took down Karim Benzema in the penalty area. The France star bagged an unstoppable penalty to send Madrid through, and the Bernabeu exploded.
KING KARIM IS INEVITABLE.
REAL MADRID SHOWING WHY THEY ARE THE KINGS OF EUROPE. 💥 pic.twitter.com/nWF0itchuO
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 4, 2022
Pep Guardiola, who left Barcelona in 2012 after a pair of Champions League triumphs, has not won the competition since. The Catalan has another late collapse to add to the Rolodex instead of another trophy.
Karim Benzema inspires comeback over PSG (2021-22 Round of 16)
Real Madrid just have that magic about them this year. Prior to the miracle against Man City, there was the Round-of-16 stunner, inspired by Karim Benzema.
A star-studded matchup left many criticizing the mishaps in the Champions League draw, wanting to see these power clubs meet later in the competition.
Through the first leg in Paris, PSG dominated proceedings, putting a lid on Madrid and pummeling the eventual Spanish champions’ back line. Still, it took a late Kylian Mbappe goal to see PSG come away with a slim 1-0 victory.
Early in the second leg in Madrid, it was more of the same through the first hour, and another Mbappe goal in the 39th minute seemed to see the Parisians through. Then, Benzema happened.
The striker played like a man possessed in the second half, bagging a stunning hat-trick to see Madrid advance 3-2 on aggregate, scoring his first in the 61st minute and securing his treble just 17 minutes later. By the time PSG knew what was happening, it was far too late, and Madrid were through to the quarterfinals, leaving PSG with yet another collapse to swallow.
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PSG shocked by Barcelona (2016-17 Round of 16)
After a 4-0 win in the first leg, it appeared that PSG — led by Marco Verratti, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, and Edinson Cavani — were on their way through to the quarterfinals, and Lionel Messi would be crashing out of the Champions League with an early exit.
Then, the second leg happened, and the Messi-Neymar-Suarez trio procured one of the most memorable Champions League results in history.
Luis Suarez scored just three minutes in, and a Layvin Kurzawa own goal before halftime gave PSG something to think about, but it still seemed out of reach. A Messi penalty after the break made it 4-3 on aggregate and Barcelona had hope, but Cavani cancelled that out past the half-hour mark and seemed to finally see PSG through, giving the French side a precious away goal and meaning Barcelona would need three more goals to turn it around.
They found all three in a stoppage-time stunner. Neymar was on hand in the 88th minute to bag the first, and he scored a penalty three minutes later to pull the aggregate score level at 5-5. Then Sergi Roberto’s famous winner sent Barcelona through in the 95th minute, and PSG were sent home red-faced.
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Liverpool stun Barcelona in ‘Miracle of Anfield’ en route to title (2018-19 semifinals)
Barcelona were on the winning side of one of the most memorable comebacks the tournament will ever see, but the Spanish giants also found themselves on the receiving end two years later.
After a 3-0 first-leg win at Camp Nou, Barcelona felt clean through to the final. Even Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp felt the weight of the mountain the Reds had to climb.
“Being 3-0 down against a team with Messi, Suarez and all those players looks like a death sentence,” Klopp said after the second leg. “We didn’t believe we’d win, we just knew we had a chance, and we believed in that chance.”
That chance became a reality at Anfield. Divock Origi and Georginio Wijnaldum wrote their names in Liverpool lore with braces for both, including the famous winning goal off Trent Alexander-Arnold’s corner that caught Barcelona napping. A 4-0 home victory turned around the aggregate score and sent Liverpool into the final, which the Reds would win to hoist the trophy.
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Reigning champions AC Milan thrashed by Deportivo (2003-04 quarterfinals)
After winning the first leg 4-1 at home over Deportivo la Coruna, a loaded AC Milan team that included Cafu, Paolo Maldini, Andriy Shevchenko, and a young Kaka saw the second leg in Spain as simply a formality.
The defending Champions League title-holders were in for a shock. At Estadio Municipal de Riazor, one of the great upsets was brewing. Goals from Walter Pandiani, Juan Carlos Valeron, and Alberto Luque put Deportivo up 3-0 at halftime, and while the La Liga club already had the away-goals decider, Fran’s second-half strike made it 4-0 on the day and 5-4 on aggregate, leaving no doubt.
Carlo Ancelotti may have secured the first of his two Champions League titles in Milan the year prior, but this year’s European journey came to an early and unexpected end.
📅 One of the greatest Champions League comebacks in history, #OTD in 2004!
🤯 Deportivo 4-0 Milan, quarter-finals, 2nd leg*
⏰0⃣5⃣ Pandiani
⏰3⃣5⃣ Valerón
⏰4⃣4⃣ Luque
⏰7⃣6⃣ Fran*Deportivo win 5-4 on aggregate @RCDeportivo | #UCL pic.twitter.com/phaGoTvUSy
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 7, 2021
Miracle of Istanbul (2004-05 final)
One of the most memorable nights in Champions League history, Liverpool’s comeback win over AC Milan in the final of 2005 was what dreams are made of.
Just a year on from the collapse against Deportivo, Ancelotti’s Milan were back in the final. The team was flying, too, up 3-0 at halftime thanks to a first-minute opener from Paolo Maldini and a subsequent brace by Hernan Crespo.
From there, it all fell apart. Steven Gerrard hit back nine minutes after the second-half restart, and Vladimir Smicer had another just two minutes later, pulling Liverpool within one before the hour mark. Xabi Alonso’s famous goal in the 60th minute was the equalizer, and while Milan survived through to a penalty shootout, the Reds had all the momentum.
Andrea Pirlo and Andriy Shevchenko both missed penalties in the ensuing shootout, and the latter’s failure was the deciding moment, seeing Liverpool take home the European crown.
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