The UEFA Champions League is the most popular football tournament, or we can call it a league that produces legends and iconic moments. We have seen the legend collapse at the big stage, while the underdogs shine. Throughout different seasons of the game, we have seen stunning comebacks to last-minute miracles.
As the 2024/25 Champions League final draws ever closer, the Champions League betting odds have really started hotting up. Get a sip of entertainment by witnessing the most iconic moments of the game that almost turned the world of football upside down.
#1 Manchester United’s Dramatic Comeback – 1999 Final
In the 1998-99 season of the Champions League, Manchester United were chasing an unprecedented treble. Things were not going the way Sir Alex Ferguson’s side planned, facing Bayern Munich in the final. They trailed 1-0 into injury time. But in the blink of an eye, everything changed.
Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took charge to score two quick goals, which pulled the team to a 2-1 victory. This quick and major comeback shocked every football fan and solidified Manchester United’s place among the greats. It's still one of the most dramatic finishes in Champions League history.
#2 Liverpool’s Comeback in the 2005 Final
The 2005 Champions League was epic. Right from the start of the game, it appeared that AC Milan was aggressively chasing their seventh European Cup. With the start of the game, they quickly hit the 3-0 upper circuit against Liverpool in the final. With Maldini and Crespo showing absolute class, things appeared to have put the match beyond doubt.
But hold on! Liverpool players were no less. They pulled off a miraculous second-half comeback. Within just the first six minutes of the second half, Gerrard, Šmicer, and Alonso took the responsibility on their shoulders and matched Milan's score. That's not the end. The game went to penalties, where Jerzy Dudek’s heroic moves secured Liverpool’s fifth European title. This match was nothing short of an epic blockbuster comeback.
#3 Deportivo La Coruña’s Stunning Turnaround Against AC Milan – 2004 Quarterfinal
AC Milan and epic moments are connected with a strong string. The team had a commanding 4-1 upper hand from the first game going into the second leg of the quarterfinals. Given Milan's standing and dominance at the time, the majority of commentators believed the match was over. But this comes up as another page in the book of comebacks, as Deportivo La Coruña pulled off one of the most remarkable comebacks in the history of the Champions League.
Deportivo displayed complete fearlessness and true class at the Riazor Stadium. The team crushed Milan 4-0 and snatched the winning title, wrapping the game at 5-4 overall. The goals from Luque, Fran, Valerón, and Pandiani turned out to be the talk of the town, and the team again proved that no lead is safe in European football.
#4 Real Madrid vs Manchester City – 2021/22 Semifinal
Drama, Real Madrid, and Manchester City - all three are connected, and we cannot deny this fact. Dubbed “In the 2021-21 edition, we saw the final before the final. After a thrilling first leg, Madrid was shockingly down 4-3, and City looked set for the final when Riyad Mahrez scored in the 73rd minute at the Santiago Bernabéu.
But Real Madrid is known for miracles, and they did it again. Coming off the bench, Rodrygo tied the score on aggregate by scoring twice in two minutes. After leaving City in shock, Madrid kept their lead into extra time, when Karim Benzema coolly scored a penalty kick to unlock the high waves of the comeback. The Madrid club's lengthy history of impossible European nights continued with this epic comeback.
Photographer Tom Bradley (centre), Professor Diana Lockwood (right) and the Lepra Bangladesh team in Bogura
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