The Champions League is not just a tournament. In more than 30 years in its new format, the competition has given fans dozens of matches that are impossible to watch without your heart skipping a beat. Experts at Bet365 UK, the official global partner of the Champions League, have compiled the best finals and major comebacks of the tournament. Below are five matches from the 21st century that the company considers to be among the greatest in the history of the competition.
No. 1. Liverpool vs. AC Milan, 2005 final. Istanbul, Miraklaym
Few matches in football history have been given their own name. This one has: Miracle of Istanbul. On 25 May 2005, at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, something happened that probability models considered almost impossible.
In the first minute, Paolo Maldini scored from Andrea Pirlo's free kick — the oldest goal in Champions League final history: the striker was 36 years old. By the 44th minute, Hernan Crespo had scored twice against Dudek, bringing the score to 3–0 in favour of Milan. Carlo Ancelotti's team, with Kaka, Shevchenko and Pirlo, seemed unbeatable.
The second half rewrote football history. In six minutes, from the 54th to the 61st, Steven Gerrard (header), Vladimir Smicer (shot from outside the penalty area) and Xabi Alonso (conversion of a rebound from Dida's save) levelled the score to 3-3. According to data from analytics company Opta, at the start of the 54th minute, with the score at 3-0, Liverpool's probability of winning was 0.55%. At the end of extra time, goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek made a double save from Shevchenko at point-blank range. In the penalty shootout, he also stopped shots from Pirlo and Shevchenko. It was Liverpool's fifth European Cup — the trophy remained with the club forever according to UEFA rules.
No. 2. Barcelona vs. PSG, 2017 Round of 16. La Remontada
On 8 March 2017, something happened at Camp Nou that the Spanish press immediately dubbed La Remontada — "The Comeback." It was the biggest turnaround in the history of the tournament: no team had ever come back from a four-goal deficit in a two-leg tie.
Barcelona lost the first match to PSG 0-4 at the Parc des Princes. There was no chance. But at Camp Nou, Luis Suárez opened the scoring in the 3rd minute, Kurzawa scored an own goal (40th), and Messi converted a penalty (50th). Then Cavani scored a crucial away goal for PSG (62nd minute), and it seemed that the final result was a foregone conclusion. However, in the last three minutes, Neymar scored a free kick (88th minute), made an accurate pass to Suárez, and earned and converted a penalty (91st minute). And in the 95th minute — the fifth minute of added time! Sergi Roberto scored in the far corner: 6-5 on aggregate. According to ESPN, after the match, PSG sent a complaint to UEFA about ten refereeing errors. The uniqueness of this match is that three decisive goals were scored against PSG in the last three minutes of the game.
No. 3. Real Madrid vs. Liverpool, 2018 Final. Bale's Bicycle Kick
On 26 May 2018, the final took place at the NSC Olimpiyskiy in Kyiv, producing one of the most beautiful goals in the history of the tournament. The score was 1-1 until the 61st minute, when Zidane sent on Gareth Bale as a substitute.
Two minutes after coming on, the Welshman performed a bicycle kick, sending the ball flying under the crossbar. Zidane himself, who scored a similar goal in the 2002 final, called it "incredible." Bale added to the score in the 83rd minute, becoming the only player to score twice in a Champions League final after coming on as a substitute. Real won 3-1, claiming their 13th Champions League title.
No. 4. Ajax vs. Tottenham, Semi-Final 2019. Lucas Moura's Hat-Trick
The second leg of the semi-final at the Johan Cruijff Arena on 8 May 2019 looked like the end for Tottenham: 0-3 in the first leg and 0-2 in the second. But what happened next went down in Champions League history.
Lucas Moura scored three times between the 55th and 96th minutes, with the last goal coming in the 96th second of stoppage time. Spurs reached their first final in history. The young Ajax team, which had previously knocked out Real Madrid and Juventus, collapsed in the last second.
No. 5. Liverpool vs. Barcelona, Semi-Final 2019. The Night of Anfield
On 7 May 2019, Klopp's team took to the pitch at Anfield without their two best strikers: Salah and Firmino had not recovered from their injuries. The task of coming back from three goals down against Barcelona and Messi seemed hopeless.
Divock Origi opened the scoring in the 7th minute. At the start of the second half, substitute Georginio Wijnaldum scored twice in two minutes — in the 54th and 56th minutes. And in the 79th minute, Trent Alexander-Arnold took a lightning-fast corner, catching the Barça defenders off guard, and Origi finished the ball into the net. The final score was 4-0, with Liverpool advancing to the final with a 4-3 aggregate score. It was only the fourth time in Champions League history that a team had come back from a three-goal deficit after the first leg. Liverpool went on to win that final against Tottenham 2-0 and claim their sixth title.
What Makes These Matches Great
Five matches — five different scenarios of the impossible, which Bet365 highlights in its editorial content:
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Istanbul 2005 — three goals in six minutes with a 0.55% chance of winning;
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Camp Nou 2017 — a record comeback from a four-goal deficit, three goals in the last three minutes;
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Kyiv 2018 — a double strike by a substitute, one of the most beautiful goals in the history of the finals;
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Amsterdam 2019 — Lucas Moura's hat-trick in the 96th minute, Tottenham's first final in the club's history;
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Anfield 2019 — a comeback without two key strikers, a clever corner that changed the course of the semi-final.
It is games like these that explain why the Champions League remains the premier football competition on the planet.
