Over the next couple of days, multiple top English clubs will be hoping to make comebacks – some from a doable position like Liverpool, who just trail by a solitary goal against Galatarasay, but others like Manchester City and Chelsea have mountains to climb. While City were hammered 3-0 by Real Madrid in Spain (could have been 4-0 but for a missed penalty), Chelsea were competitive for so long against defending champions PSG with the game heading for a 2-2 draw, but collapsed in the last quarter to lose 2-5. And the less said about Tottenham Hotspur’s performance against Atletico Madrid, the better as they were abject in a 2-5 defeat.
Can these teams take some insipration from the past comebacks that the European showpiece event has witnessed? There has only been one four-goal comeback and there are three famous three-goal comebacks.
2016/17 round of 16
PSG’s Edinson Cavani felt that the club was the victim of “injustice” in their famous capitulation to Barcelona. (Reuters/File photo)
1st leg: PSG 4-0 Barcelona
2nd leg: Barcelona 6-1 PSG
Only once in the history of UEFA Champions League has a four-goal first-leg deficit in a two-legged tie. The famous (and somewhat infamous) La Remontada (The Comeback) by Barcelona. After PSG stunned Barcelona in the first leg 4-0, there was very little hope for Luis Enrique’s men. Sergi Roberto’s late, late goal broke the deadlock on a night Barcelona scored three goals in the last 8 minutes. It will forever be remembered as the greatest UCL comeback… but PSG might not agree.
“Well, it’s true that at 3-1, nobody could have imagined such a turnaround . Then several things happened that led to us losing. And if I had to describe what happened there, I’d call it injustice. That result wasn’t fair,” PSG’s Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani would tell L’euipe later. He was perhaps referring to the controversial penalty decision won and converted by Neymar. Asked what was unfair, he said: “Turn on the TV! Cavani isn’t the only one saying this; you only have to watch the footage of the match to realize …”
2018/19 semi-finals
1st leg: Barcelona 3-0 Liverpool
2nd leg: Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Even the club’s official website calls it the greatest Anfield night in the Champions League – and there have been a few of those. After a 3-0 thrashing in Spain, Liverpool were written off before the second leg but an early goal from Divock Origi gave them hope. But it is the final and fourth goal that will stay in memory for a long time, when Trent Alexander Arnold took a short corner that caught Barcelona off guard with Origi sweeping the ball home.
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“Funnily enough, I had that shot a couple of times in training, I practised the shot, the side of the net from the angle. It wasn’t bouncing, it was just a ball in,” Origi told Liverpoolfc.com. “But I think subconsciously, when the ball came, it helped me – I had more confidence because I knew I’d practised that shot. But, of course, in 10 [attempts] the chances are you can put it over or even in the middle of the goal. It was a very difficult finish because my back was turned to the ball. I was still looking and in the corner of my eye I saw Trent making a movement. “I had to readjust quickly, turn my body 180 degrees and then try to put it into the side of the net. It was a hard movement with a bouncing ball as well, but luckily it went in so I’m happy.”
2017/18 quarter-finals
1st leg:Barcelona 4-1 Roma
2nd leg: Roma 3-0 Barcelona
Usually in these comebacks, an early goal in the second leg is critical. At Stadio Olimpico, Edin Dzeko kickstarted the path to glory with a 6th minute goal. One of the most interesting coincidences, Daniele de Rossi and Kostas Manolas scored the decisive goals for AS Roma – and both of them had scored own goals in previous week’s first leg. With the away-gols rule back in place then, the 4-4 aggregate was enough to send the Roma fans into delirious celebrations.
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Dzeko had scored that crucial away goal. “I stayed with Roma to experience matches like these. I’m happy to be with Roma and I think the club should be, too,” Dzeko was quoted as saying Associated Press. “I turned down a lot of money by not going to Chelsea but that’s not what I’m interested in. If we play like this we can play with anyone. I’ve never seen Barcelona in so much difficulty.”
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2003/04 quarter-finals
1st leg: AC Milan 4-1 Deportivo La Coruña
2nd leg: Deportivo La Coruña 4-0 AC Milan
The 2003-04 UCL season will be remembered forever for one of the most unpredictable finals lineup in the history of the event, with AS Monaco and FC Porto in Gelsenkirchen. And that was partly due to an epic comeback that knocked out the tournament favourites in the quarterfinals. The legendary AC Milan team, with superstars Kaka (x2), Andriy Shevchenko and Andrea Pirlo on the scoresheet, took a 4-1 lead against Spanish side Deportivo. Milan were, of course, the defending champions. But Walter Pandiani, Juan Carlos Valerón and Albert Luque made it 3-0 even by the first half of the second leg. The winner came in the 76th minute from sub Fran González.
Deportivo president Augusto Lendoiro said later: “I believe that not only La Coruna but Galicia and Spain now have a reason to have a huge fiesta. We have done something historic and spectacular and given joy to thousands of young football fans all over Spain.”
