Will the remontada happen? The most epic comebacks in Champions League history
Luis Torres
Dailysports's expert
La Remontada has been the most popular word in football media over the past week. All fans are wondering if Real Madrid will pull off another miracle after their 0-3 defeat in London to Arsenal.
Dailysports decided to recall the grandest comebacks in the history of Europe's most prestigious club tournament.
Season 2016/17. Round of 16. Barcelona vs PSG 6-1 (first leg – 0-4)
Arguably the most famous remontada in football history. Barcelona remains the only team to advance to the next round of the Champions League after losing by a 4-goal margin in the first leg.
In 2017, the away goals rule was still in effect in the Champions League, so when Edinson Cavani made it 1-3 in the 62nd minute, it seemed Barcelona had no chance. But in the 88th minute, Neymar scored the fourth goal for Luis Enrique's team, three minutes later he converted a penalty, and in the final seconds, Sergi Roberto scored the most important goal of his career.
Over 90,000 fans at Camp Nou were in such ecstasy that seismologists even recorded a micro-earthquake at the moment of the sixth goal by the Blaugranas.
The evening was only marred by controversial decisions made by German referee Deniz Aytekin, which many fans still discuss.
However, in the next round, the euphoria from the remontada turned into the disappointment of being knocked out of the Champions League by Juventus.
Season 2018/19. Semi-final. Liverpool vs Barcelona 4-0 (first leg – 0-3)
And again, Barcelona. But this time in a different role. At Camp Nou, the Catalans crushed Jurgen Klopp's team, and the legendary Lionel Messi had a phenomenal match. The return leg didn't seem to pose any problems for Barcelona, as Liverpool was missing Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino due to injuries.
But who would have thought that Firmino's backup, Divock Origi, would become the hero of the return leg. Already in the seventh minute, the Belgian put the Merseysiders ahead, reigniting the intrigue.
At halftime, Jurgen Klopp made a crucial decision, replacing Andy Robertson with Georginio Wijnaldum. It was the Dutchman who equalized the tie, scoring two goals in quick succession – in the 54th and 56th minutes. Wijnaldum's second goal was assisted by Xherdan Shaqiri, who replaced Mohamed Salah.
What happened in the 79th minute will forever go down in football history. That iconic corner from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Origi's double. Liverpool's right-back made a deceptive move and quickly took the corner, surprising Barca's defense. Just days ago, Marc-André ter Stegen admitted that this goal is the most unpleasant moment in his career.
Ousmane Dembele could have saved Barcelona from disaster, but he missed a golden opportunity, and Liverpool advanced to the final, where they eventually defeated Tottenham.
Season 2003/04. Deportivo La Coruña vs AC Milan 4-0 (first leg – 1-4)
This was the AC Milan that all of Europe feared. The legendary team of Carlo Ancelotti with Kaka, Pirlo, Gattuso, Dida, Cafu, Seedorf, Shevchenko, and Inzaghi truly dominated everyone, and they approached the matches with Deportivo as the obvious favorites. At San Siro, the Spanish team scored first but then conceded four times. It seemed that any talk of advancing was out of the question.
“Miracles happen. They often occur when you least expect them,” said Deportivo's head coach Javier Irureta after the match. His words turned out to be prophetic.
In La Coruña, Walter Pandiani put Deportivo ahead in the 5th minute, and as it turned out, this goal became a catalyst for the entire team. Deportivo believed in success, and before halftime, the legendary Juan Carlos Valeron made it 2-0, and Albert Luque scored the third. In just one half, Milan found themselves chasing the game, as Irureta's team had the advantage of an away goal.
The Rossoneri left their defenses too exposed, leading to a fourth goal by Fran Gonzalez. Interestingly, his son Nico now plays for Manchester City.
In the semi-final, Deportivo was defeated by Porto, who sensationally won the Champions League under Jose Mourinho's leadership.
Season 2017/18. Quarter-final. Roma vs Barcelona 3-0 (first leg – 1-4)
Ernesto Valverde managed to win La Liga twice with Barcelona, but his journey with the team in the Champions League is associated only with pain for the fans. A year before the disastrous match at Anfield, Barcelona suffered another setback.
The Catalans were clear favorites against a rather modest Roma, and at home, they easily defeated the Italian team 4-1. But at the Stadio Olimpico, perhaps the best match in the modern history of the “Wolves” took place.
As with most great comebacks, it all started with an early goal – Edin Dzeko opened the scoring in the 6th minute. Roma understood that they needed to play cautiously in defense, as any away goal by Barcelona would end their chances. Eusebio Di Francesco's team played very compactly, and in the 58th minute, they earned a penalty, which Daniele De Rossi converted.
Only after this did Roma start playing more adventurously, increasingly threatening Barcelona's goal. Ultimately, in the 82nd minute, the Romans earned a corner, which was delivered by Cengiz Ünder, and center-back Kostas Manolas headed Roma into the semi-final.
Interestingly, in the next round, Roma almost repeated their achievement. After a 2-5 defeat in Liverpool, they won 4-2 in Rome but had enough chances to take the match to extra time.
Season 2021/22. Semi-final. Real Madrid vs Manchester City 3-1 (first leg – 3-4)
At first glance, this comeback might not seem particularly remarkable when looking solely at the scoreline. However, the drama of this encounter is astonishing. The match at the Etihad was incredibly intense, with Real playing catch-up the entire 90 minutes, managing to score three times.
At the Santiago Bernabeu, Pep Guardiola's team contained Real's attack, and in the 73rd minute, Riyad Mahrez opened the scoring. At that moment, it seemed nothing could prevent Man City from reaching the Champions League final for the first time in history.
As the match neared its conclusion, instead of the match score, a title appeared with the teams' chances of progressing: Real Madrid – 1%, Manchester City – 99%. And 1% was enough.
The key role was played by the substitution of Rodrygo for Toni Kroos. It was the Brazilian who pulled one back in the 90th minute and then scored again a minute later, sending the game into extra time. Rodrygo's goals shocked Man City so much that it took them 5 minutes of extra time to concede a penalty and let Karim Benzema score the decisive goal.
In the final, Real Madrid narrowly defeated Liverpool thanks to a goal by Vinicius Junior.
This match serves as the most eloquent lesson for Arsenal. Against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, losing focus even for a second is unforgivable, as this team does not let such moments go unpunished.
In total, throughout the history of the Champions League, there have been only 4 instances where a team has come back after a 3 or more goal deficit in the first leg. And Real Madrid has never managed to do it. Can they rewrite their history today?
