FEATURE | The biggest UEFA Champions League comebacks | OneFootball

The UEFA Champions League has seen its fair share of comebacks in recent years and with last year’s finalists Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund needing to overturn substantial deficits, Get Football looks at some of the greatest Champions League turnarounds.

Paris Saint-Germain (4) 1-6 (0) Barcelona – 2016/17 Round of 16

A 4-0 demolition by Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes with goals from Angel Di Maria (2), Julian Draxler and Edinson Cavani left Barcelona with a monumental task at the Camp Nou. Luis Suarez opened the scoring in the third minute which gave the Catalan side a sense of belief.

Layvin Kurzawa then scored an own goal before Lionel Messi scored from the spot. Edinson Cavani then secured an away goal for PSG but a capitulation in the dying minutes saw Neymar score a brace (88, 90+1) before Sergi Roberto helped Barcelona secure the greatest ever Champions League comeback with a goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Luis Enrique’s Barcelona became the first time to overturn a four-goal deficit to win a Champions League tie and remain the only team to do so.

Barcelona (3) 0-4 (0) Liverpool – 2018/19 Semi-Final

To secure their place in the 2019 Champions League final, Liverpool had to overturn a 3-0 deficit against Barcelona. In such a game at Anfield, emotions ran high. It was often forgotten Belgian striker Divock Origi that started Liverpool’s unlikely revival with a goal in the seventh minute. Georgino Wijnaldum then levelled the tie with a brace in the space of 122 seconds.

“Corner taken quickly… Origi!” Will be fondly remembered by Liverpool fans. Origi’s iconic second goal of the night was voted Liverpool’s greatest goal in their history. An unlikely hero, the Belgian’s superb finish after Trent Alexander-Arnold’s quick-thinking corner that caught Barcelona sleeping ranks Liverpool’s comeback as one of the greatest.

Barcelona (4) 0-3 (1) AS Roma – 2017/18 Quarter-Final

There’s a running trend that Barcelona have been involved in each of the three greatest Champions League comebacks in the last 10 years. Preceding their defeat at Anfield the following year, the Catalan side were also on the wrong side of a comeback in the 2017/18 campaign. After racing to a 3-0 lead against AS Roma, the Italian side perhaps cemented themselves in history as one of the Champions League’s most unexpected comebacks.

With odds stacked well against them, the Stadio Olimpico erupted when Kostas Manolas headed his Eusebio Di Francesco’s side into a 3-0 lead on the night after goals from Edin Dzeko and Daniele De Rossi. Dzeko’s goal at the Camp Nou also secured the Galliarossi the all-important crucial away goal.

AC Milan (4) 0-4 (1) Deportivo La Coruña – 2003/04 Quarter-Final

Many football fans born before 2000 won’t have an idea of how good Deportivo La Coruña were back in the day. They haven’t played in La Liga since 2018 and have found themselves playing in the third tier of Spanish football just last season. But back in the day, they produced one of the earliest, biggest, Champions League comebacks.

Well beaten at the San Siro, Deportivo had to overturn a 4-1 deficit. Walter Pandiani, Juan Carlos Valerón and Albert Luque all scored before half-time to turn the momentum in Deportivo’s favour. Fran González then scored their fourth to overturn a three-goal first leg deficit to knock out holders Milan.

Get Football | News Desk