‘Roma have risen from their ruins!!!’ Peter Drury’s iconic and eternal words for BT Sport echoed on Roma’s comeback against Barcelona in the 2017/18 Champions League quarter-final. The Giallorossi looked down and out after a 4-1 defeat in the first leg, but managed the most unexpected of 3-0 wins at the Olimpico to knock out the Spanish giants.
It won’t happen this season, with Roma having been sent packing from the competition by virtue of not qualifying in the first place, while Barcelona met their end in the group stage of all places; plus, no more away goals. But there are still great match-ups in the 2021/22 edition of the Champions League, as the Last Eight games kick off this midweek.
There could be more classics on our hands, so, in anticipation, here are the top ten Champions League quarter-final ties of this century.
10. Bayern Munich v Barcelona (2019/20)
What makes this particular tie rank low is its atypical nature; played in an eerie, near-soulless Lisbon, thanks to the pandemic. Bayern Munich v Barcelona in 2020 was part of an unusual spate of one-off quarter-final ties, with no second legs, but this game provided enough astonishment to last a lifetime. When Bayern took the lead, and were pegged back, it felt like a straightforward game between two European heavyweights. But, as many had been noticing, Barcelona had been losing grasp of their heavyweight might and aura. The past two Champions League seasons had seen Los Cules suffer stunning collapses, and another seismic one was to come.
Bayern ran out 8-2 winners, signalling where both teams were on the power scale, and to rub salt on wounds, two of that eight goals were scored by Philippe Coutinho, who was on loan from Barcelona. A horrendous night for the Catalans, and yet, for the list, not their last debacle.
9. Malaga v Borussia Dortmund (2012/13)
It was the meeting of the surprise packages in the 2013 quarter-final, Malaga having found their way to the last eight against the odds, while Borussia Dortmund were unbeaten, and topped a group involving Real Madrid and Manchester City. The first leg at La Rosaleda was a goalless draw that left things in the balance ahead of the return in Dortmund.
But they looked to save the best for the return leg, and at the Signal Iduna Park, Malaga struck first, Joaquin getting that crucial away goal. Dortmund found their way back on terms, through Robert Lewandowski, but still needed another to go through. That second goal looked evasive, as Die Schwarzgelben found Malaga goalkeeper Willy Caballero hard to breach, and when Eliseu put Manuel Pellegrini’s visitors with less than 10 minutes left, things looked done and dusted. Dortmund had to score twice late on, but astonishingly, they did, first through Marco Reus, and then a scramble in by Felipe Santana, sparking bedlam at the Signal Iduna Park and shattering Malaga hearts.
8. Real Madrid v Manchester United (2002/03)
For many, this was supposed to be the final of the 2002/03 Champions League, and holders Real Madrid were supposed to defend their crown against Manchester United at Old Trafford. But if their meeting came two rounds earlier, it still served up a showpiece event. Real were deemed head and shoulders above the rest of Europe, and for much of the first leg against United, they looked like it. It was very much knife through butter, as they cut through England’s top team, for a 3-1 win that pretty much flattered the visitors.
Manchester United needed to serve up a masterclass of their own at home, if they were to make the semi-finals, but they played spectator as Real’s Ronaldo took centre stage. R9 would produce a hat-trick, two of which were stunning strikes, in what was ultimately an academic 4-3 win on the night for United.
7. Real Madrid v Monaco (2003/04)
The following season, Real found themselves in another quarter-final, and once again, they hosted the first leg. Despite Monaco having the temerity to take the lead, Real took charge of this game, and raced to a comprehensive and comfortable 4-1 lead. Monaco pulled one back via Fernando Morientes – on loan from Real – but it didn’t seem to matter much.
And when Raul put Real Madrid in front in the second leg at Stade Louis II, to extend the aggregate lead to 5-2, the tie looked to be put to bed. But Ludovic Giuly fired home a volley on the cusp of halftime, to give Monaco hope. Morientes would repeat his feat from the first leg, and score again, and suddenly Monaco were one goal away from knocking out mighty Real Madrid. That goal would come from Giuly, as a stunned Real had no answer to Didier Deschamps’ side, who would eventually make their way to the Champions League final.
6. Liverpool v Bayer Leverkusen (2001/02)
The 2001/02 season was an unlucky one for Bayer Leverkusen, as they came close in every competition, but had to settle for second-best in each of them. But that didn’t quite make their journey any less enthralling. In the Champions League, Klaus Toppmoller’s team were up against Liverpool in the Last Eight, and had it all to do after Sami Hyypia’s goal gave the Reds a first leg aggregate lead at Anfield.
Leverkusen would strike first in the second leg, Michael Ballack levelling the tie on aggregate, but Abel Xavier’s equaliser on the night before halftime meant Leverkusen now needed to score twice. Score twice, they did, though, as Ballack got another, before one Dimitar Berbatov put them in the driving seat in the tie. Liverpool swung the pendulum their way once more, with Jari Litmanen putting them ahead on away goals with 11 minutes left. But Leverkusen were no strangers to adversity in the Champions League that season, having navigated a second group stage group that included Juventus and Arsenal, and topping that slot despite having only four points from the first four games. And they had more than enough left in them for this tie, as Lucio rifled home a winner in the 84th minute. Liverpool were out, and if it was any consolation, they wouldn’t be the last English side to be stung by the Germans in 2002.
5. Bayern Munich v Manchester United (2009/10)
‘Football, bloody hell’, Sir Alex Ferguson said in 1999, after Manchester United pulled off that outrageous comeback in the final against Bayern Munich at the Nou Camp. 11 years later, they were meeting in the quarter-final (yes, they also met in 2001), and this time, if Fergie was uttering those words, it would be in despair, as it was something of a ’99 reverse in the first leg at the Allianz Arena. United took an early lead through Wayne Rooney, but Bayern scored two late goals, via a deflected free-kick from Franck Ribery, and then a goal from Ivica Olic, to take a 2-1 advantage to Old Trafford.
United had it to chase in the second leg, and also had to sweat on the fitness of Rooney. But Wazza would be fit enough to start the return game at Old Trafford, and the Red Devils flew out of the blocks at the Theatre of Dreams, Darron Gibson putting them in front, before Nani scored twice. United were coasting, 4-2 up on aggregate, but Olic pulled one back just before the break, and not long after the interval, Rafael was sent off. Suddenly United were in panic mode, and had gone from walking on easy street to walking a tightrope. Then came the famous killer blow, Arjen Robben volleying home a Ribery corner, which was enough to send Bayern through on away goals. 'Anguish is the hallmark of this fixture and it was Manchester United's turn to suffer tonight', the late Kevin McCarra wrote for The Guardian on the night.
4. Milan v Deportivo (2003/04)
If Monaco knocking out Real Madrid in 2004 was a surprise, it wasn’t even the biggest shock of that round in that season’s competition. Deportivo went into their quarter-final against Milan after vanquishing another Italian side in Juventus. But despite taking the lead via Walter Pandiani – who scored Depor’s only goal in their second-leg win at Juve – they faced a Milan onslaught, as the defending champions put four past them. 4-1 up going into the second leg, Milan were surely on their way to the semis, and stood a strong chance of becoming the first side to retain the European title since they did it themselves since 1990….
…Nope. Astonishingly, not only did Deportivo produce a comeback, by halftime of the second leg, they were already in the ascendancy, thanks to goals from Pandiani again, as well as Juan Carlos Valeron and Albert Luque. The Spanish side still had more than enough in them to add an icing on the cake, with Fran in the final 15 minutes. The impossible had been done, and against all odds, Super Depor were heading for the semi-final.
3. Liverpool v Chelsea (2008/09)
In the early 2000s, Chelsea and Liverpool’s meetings were so frequent they might as well hold reunions for them now. FA Cup semi-finals, League Cup finals, and crucial league games, they even met in the Champions League group phase in one season, after Liverpool’s European triumph seemingly caused a glitch in the UEFA database. But those rather paled in comparison to their knockout clashes in this competition. By 2009, they’d met in three semi-finals, Liverpool winning two of them, but Chelsea’s victory was the latest, having happened the previous year. In those ties, the away team had never won a game, and it looked to be going that way once more, as Fernando Torres put Liverpool ahead early on in the first leg at Anfield. Headers from Branislav Ivanovic either side of half-time, though, put Chelsea in charge of the tie, and Didier Drogba added a third, to put Chelsea in a nigh unassailable position going into the second leg.
But Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool were known for an equally admirable and infuriating never-say-die attitude, and by half-time in the second leg, Chelsea’s lead had been cut to the hair’s width that was away goals. The Blues would grab a foothold in the tie after the break, however, as a Drogba goal, via a Pepe Reina error, an Alex free-kick, and a Frank Lampard strike put them 6-3 up on aggregate. Still, Liverpool wouldn’t go away, Lucas Leiva’s deflected shot was followed up by a Dirk Kuyt header, the Reds led on the night, and were incredibly one goal away from knocking Chelsea out. But Chelsea and Lampard would have the final say, the midfielder’s second five minutes from time finally putting the tie to bed.
2. Roma v Barcelona (2017/18)
What more could you say that hasn’t been said? You could make the case that this is the Champions League quarter-final tie of the century, and you’d have one, at least for sheer shock value. Barcelona-based newspaper Sport didn’t expect it to be any sort of dramatic when the draw was made. ‘A bonbon. Luck smiles on Barcelona in the draw and they are already dreaming of the treble’, the paper wrote.
And the tie did look to be going according to the script in the first leg; two Roma own goals and then two more strikes from Luis Suarez and Gerard Pique had Barcelona in pole position. Edin Dzeko did get on the scoresheet for Roma, but his goal in a 4-1 defeat was pretty much academic… or so we thought.
When Dzeko repeated his goalscoring act early on the second leg, to reduce Roma’s arrears, the reaction from the Olimpico wasn’t one that showed the goal to be academic. Hope graduated onto belief when Daniele De Rossi converted a penalty midway through the second period, and suddenly Roma were one goal away from the impossible. Dared they believe? Could they pull this off? One Cengiz Under corner and a Kostas Manolas header later, the answer was yes. Roma had pulled themselves from the certain elimination and were heading for a first Champions League semi-final in over 30 years. Barcelona pushed for a reprieve, but none was forthcoming, and it was the Italian papers who had the headlines this time; ‘Roma, the myth’ and ‘Ecstasy Roma!’, some wrote. On a raucous night in Rome, it was the Italians who produced a result to marvel even the gods.
1. Tottenham v Manchester City (2018/19)
Arguably the greatest quarter-final of this century, if not all time, and Daniel Taylor, then with The Guardian, produced the most apt question after the second leg: 'Seriously, where do you even start?'. ‘A simply incredible game had its incredible, if cruel, finish. This was this stadium's first great European night, but not in the way Guardiola had intended’, said The Independent’s Mark Critchley.
Prior to this tie, Spurs hadn’t won any of their last four meetings with Manchester City, suffering three defeats on the bounce, and their league form was falling off a cliff. Mauricio Pochettino’s side had gone from plucky outside title challengers in the middle of 2018/19, to exhausted strugglers, which would signal the beginning of the end for the Argentine at the club. But it felt like they were rerouting whatever power was left to the Champions League engines.
After getting past Inter in the group stage by the skin of their teeth, Spurs comfortably went past Borussia Dortmund in the Last 16. And they found a way to an advantage in a rather drab first leg of the quarter-final against City, thanks to an early missed penalty from Sergio Aguero and a goal from Son Heung-Min.
But if the first leg didn’t have much to go for it, the second made up for that in the very first 20 minutes – the first ten, in fact. Raheem Sterling gave City an early lead on the night. But when Son scored two goals in the space of 50 seconds to put Spurs 3-1 up on aggregate, it was still too early to paint a picture of where this tie was going. Bernardo Silva made it 2-2 on the night after 11 minutes, and by the 21st minute, we’d seen a fifth goal, once more from Sterling. Aguero thumped City into the lead for the first time in the tie in the second half, but Fernando Llorente bundled one home to put Spurs back ahead on away goals. That looked to be that, but Sterling would give City a stoppage time lead with a fifth goal for City on the night. It looked to be the winner, except not, as the Video Assistant Referee would have the final say, chalking off City and Pep Guardiola’s moment of joy, and sending Spurs through in a manic game.
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