Knockout Kings – Ten of the best European comebacks
It's been done before...
Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City all face an uphill struggle if they are to progress in Europe and Bayern Munich seemingly face the impossible needing five without reply against an irresistible Barcelona.
So for all those fans who have all but given up hope of their side recovering, here’s a rundown of the top ten comebacks in European knockout football to give you all a sense of renewed optimism!
10. Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 Espanyol
(Leverkusen win 3-2 on penalties after 3-3 aggregate score)
Ulrich Haberland Stadion, Leverkusen, 1988 UEFA Cup Final second-leg.
In the days when the UEFA Cup final was contested over two legs, Espanyol looked odds-on favourites to secure the trophy after a 3-0 first-leg win in Spain.
Javier Clemente’s side would have been able to taste success with the second-leg deadlocked at 0-0 after an hour of play.
Although with German efficiency at its very best, Leverkusen fought their way back into the tie and three goals without reply sent the match into a penalty shootout.
Espanyol even had the cushion of a 2-0 advantage in the shootout itself but a Leverkusen side inspired by goalkeeper Rüdiger Vollborn again clawed their way back and were UEFA Cup champions with a 3-2 spot kick triumph.
9. Partizan Belgrade 4-0 QPR
(Partizan win on away goals after 6-6 aggregate score)
JNA Stadion, Belgrade, 1984 UEFA Cup second round second-leg.
QPR ventured into Europe in 1984 and looked resounding favourites to progress to the UEFA Cup third round having beaten Partizan Belgrade 6-2 at Loftus Road.
With such an emphatic performance at home, you wouldn’t have betted against the West London side picking up a positive result in Belgrade.
Well unfortunately for QPR, Partizan got their act together on home soil and after four goals without reply, Alan Mullery’s team were out of the competition.
8. Middlesbrough 4-2 Steaua Bucharest
(Middlesbrough win 4-3 on aggregate)
The Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough, 2006 UEFA Cup semi-final second-leg.
On route to the UEFA Cup final, Middlesbrough pulled off a couple of quite amazing comebacks in 2006, most notably to secure victory against Steaua Bucharest and book their place in Eindhoven for the final against Sevilla.
Steve McClaren’s hopes of guiding Boro to silverware before he took on the England job looked to be up in smoke when, having already won 1-0 in the first-leg, Steaua increased their aggregate advantage with two goals inside half an hour at the Riverside Stadium.
Just like in the previous round, Middlesbrough needed to find four goals to progress and that is exactly what they managed to do.
Goals from Massimo Maccarone, Mark Viduka and Chris Riggott offered renewed hope and then Italian front man Maccarone notched up his second of the game in the last minute of normal time to send Boro into their first ever European final.
7. Real Madrid 4-0 Borussia Mönchengladbach
(Real Madrid win on away goals after 5-5 aggregate score)
Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, 1985 UEFA Cup third round second-leg.
When you know that a club like Real Madrid classes this comeback as the greatest in their history, you know that it must be special and special it most certainly was.
German side Borussia Mönchengladbach were in dream land having thumped the then UEFA Cup champions 5-1 in Germany and it seemed there was no way back for the holders.
Leading 2-0 at half-time at the Santiago Bernabéu, the job was nowhere near complete for Real Madrid and it wouldn’t be until the last ten minutes that the tie swung back in their favour.
Jorge Valdano and Carlos Santillana proved to be the heroes as they struck the decisive late goals to provide Real Madrid with victory in the competition that they would go on to retain.
6. Deportivo 4-0 AC Milan
(Deportivo win 5-4 on aggregate)
Estadio Riazor, La Coruña, 2004 Champions League quarter-final second-leg.
Spanish side Deportivo La Coruña pulled off an unthinkable comeback to dump AC Milan out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage.
Holders Milan were in cruise control having dominated the first-leg at the San Siro and taken a comfortable 4-1 lead with them to Spain.
Although this is where the comforts were brought to a seismic halt as goals from Pandiani, Valeron and Luque gave Depor the away goal advantage.
To compel Carlo Ancelotti’s misery, Fran’s deflected half-volley flew past Dida in the 75th minute to complete the rout and ensure that Deportivo would be in the hat for the semi-finals.
5. Juventus 2-3 Manchester United
(Manchester United win 4-3 on aggregate)
Stadio Delle Alpi, Turin, 1999 Champions League semi-final second-leg.
Not for the first time in 1999 Manchester United fought back from behind to grab an astounding and somewhat unlikely victory.
The Red Devils, already under the cosh following a 1-1 draw with Juventus at Old Trafford, were in further disarray when Filippo Inzaghi grabbed two goals inside 11 minutes in the Stadio Delle Alpi.
Led by the energetic and courageous Roy Keane, United somehow managed to claw their way back into the tie with goals from the Irishman himself and Dwight Yorke.
Despite picking up a booking that would keep him out of the final, Keane rallied his troops and the comeback was complete when Andrew Cole tapped the ball into an empty net to send United through.
Video: http://www.56.com/u85/v_NDAxMTM2NDI.html
4. Barcelona 1-4 Metz
(Metz win 6-5 on aggregate)
Nou Camp, Barcelona, 1984 European Cup Winners’ Cup first round second-leg.
Barcelona were firmly in the driving seat in this Cup Winners’ Cup first round tie having gone to France and picked up a 4-2 win.
The Catalan club had even grabbed the first goal at the Nou Camp resulting in a 5-2 aggregate lead that, you would have thought, would have crippled their French opposition into submission.
Although a spirited fight-back, lead by Yugoslav born Zvonko Kurbos’ hat-trick, meant that Metz somehow managed to turn things around and achieve the most unlikely of results to claim a heroic 4-1 victory.
3. Manchester United 2-1 Bayern Munich
Nou Camp, Barcelona, 1999 Champions League Final.
Manchester United completed an amazing and unprecedented treble on that fabled evening in Barcelona, establishing a reputation as the ultimate kings of the comeback.
With the suspended Roy Keane and Paul Scholes watching on from the sidelines, United had it all to do after Mario Basler had given Bayern Munich a sixth minute lead.
Although despite having created little during the entirety of the final, United remarkably found an injury time equaliser.
After Bayern had failed to effectively clear a David Beckham corner, Ryan Giggs sent in a shot from the edge of the area that fell directly into the path of Teddy Sheringham who managed to scuff an effort into the corner of the net.
Extra-time beckoned and while Manchester United fans gathered their breath, who would have believed what would happen next.
As David Beckham swung in another accurate corner, Sheringham flicked the ball goalwards and into the path of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who converted into the roof of the net to spark scenes of sheer jubilation.
2. Liverpool 3-3 AC Milan
(Liverpool win 3-2 on penalties)
Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul, 2005 Champions League Final.
The manner in which Liverpool bounced back from a three goal deficit at half-time against AC Milan still baffles many supporters.
Milan were thoroughly in control in Istanbul but the never-say-die attitude of the Anfield club, fronted by the simply outstanding Steven Gerrard set up one of the greatest ever comebacks in a European final.
Yes Liverpool fans, need I remind you, Italian giants AC Milan were heading into the half-time break 3-0 up following goals from Paolo Maldini and a brace from Hernan Crespo.
Although Liverpool came out in the second half a rejuvenated side and the fight-back began after only 53 minutes when Gerrard sent an unstoppable header past goalkeeper Dida.
A couple of minutes later and Vladimir Smicer’s right-footed drive had found the net to give Liverpool even further optimism that a remarkable comeback may just happen.
And just before the hour mark Xabi Alonso duly obliged, smashing home following Dida’s save from the penalty spot to spark wild scenes of euphoria in Turkey.
From here on in you just knew it was to be Liverpool’s final and after Andriy Shevchenko had sent a tame penalty straight at the jelly-like Jerzy Dudek, the Reds had rounded off a sensational comeback to win the penalty shootout 3-2.
1. Bayer Uerdingen 7-3 Dynamo Dresden
(Bayer Uerdingen win 7-5 on aggregate)
Grotenburg Stadion, Uerdingen, 1986 European Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-final second-leg.
Two German clubs would meet in the Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-final as Bayern Uerdingen staged one of the most spectacular comebacks ever to be witnessed in the professional game.
Dresden travelled to Uerdingen safe in the knowledge that they possessed a 2-0 advantage from the first-leg and were seemingly home and dry when they raced to a 3-1 half-time lead in the return leg.
The away side could afford to concede four goals in the last half an hour and would still progress but the events that followed would surely not have appeared in the wildest dreams of even the most optimistic of Uerdingen supporters.
Goals from Wolfgang Funkel, an own goal, a delightful lob from Wolfgang Schäfer and a cracking run and finish from Dietmar Klinger made it 5-3, although this still wasn’t enough for Uerdingen.
Enter Wolfgang Funkel to convert his second penalty of the night to give Bayer the aggregate lead for the first time in the tie and then cue outright ecstasy when Wolfgang Schäfer breaks with the ball on the counter-attack and finishes at the second attempt to make it 7-3.
greatest comeback? i think none of them are mentioned. milan overturned deficits in 2007 CL vs Man u and bayern. they are truly great comebacks. real’s comeback is a UEFA cup one, which is great but in a smaller competition. barca cameback to win 6-2 at camp nou after 3-1 defeat to chelsea in 2000. that was great. i think comebacks dont happen in football by very great margins. bayern against real was great when they scored a goal in just 10 seconds. so these were not mentioned. milan’s comeback vs lyon in 2006 QF. that was exceptional.
I Still think Liverpool’s “comeback” in final against Milan is over-rated. They did not actually get a winner in playing time and had to wait until penalties. Yes, they came from behind 3-0 and really just got a tie…
Still find United’s 2-1 victory over Bayern of greater nature since they actually won the game to complete the comeback.
If I recall: 1996 UEFA Cup: Brøndby – Karlsruhe. Brøndby lose 3-1 at home only to win 5-0 in Karslruhe to move into the 4th round… nice comeback too!
Sandro-You forget that this is an English loving sight! Football doesn’t exist outside of England. This article fails to mention that Gerrad dove for the penalty in the 2005 final, The GK Dudek jumped off his line to make illegal saves of Pirlo and Sheva. In 1999 Juventus were dead tired from their 5 year cycle that saw them play more games than any other team in history. Too bad the facts rarely count.
Erm, what about when Inter Milan came to Highbury during ‘The Invincibles’ and winning 0-3, grabbing 3 away goals only for Arsenal to win 1-5 at the San Siro due to the inspirational Thierry Henry (Arsenal advance 5-4 agg) That was far better than some of the mentioned so-called ‘Greatest Comebacks’ listed.
@ Steven Lim
But what’s great about a comeback that ultimately ends in defeat? I remember that Inter-Arsenal tie, and whatever Inter did at Highbury, it wasn’t for anything since they were destroyed 5-1 at San Siro (as you noted).
@ Rich
The site is a UK based one, but the author points out that the best comeback was a tie from Germany contested by what I think was a club from East Germany (Dynamo Dresden) and West Germany (Bayer Uerdingen). And to be fair, the Liverpool-Milan match in 2005 was a final with much more at stake than some Cup Winners’ Cup match in 1986, but the accusations of the site being English loving is somewhat misplaced. The 3-3 draw in Istanbul was amazing, and I’m no Liverpool fan. Maybe on par was the 2-1 win by Man Utd against Bayern at Camp Nou in 1999, but to put myself in the shoes of Liverpool fans at halftime on that May night, I would have (1) been cursing the luck of the team, (2) cursing at myself for spending all that money to get to Istanbul to watch a 3-0 loss and (3) cursing at Milan for causing all of this. To then witness that kind of turn around, in the words of Master Card, “priceless!”
I was actually talking from Arsenals perspective and not Inters, to come from 3 away goals behind to thrash them 5-1, good comeback no?
@ Steven Lim
You are right to pick out Arsenal’s 5-1 victory against Inter in the San Siro but this article focuses purely on comebacks involved in knockout European fixtures. A fantastic result though and I am a great admirer of Henry.
@ Rich
I am a Manchester United fan so by no means am I defending Steven Gerrard or Jerzy Dudek. In football terms, the way that Liverpool bounced back from 3-0 down at half-time was remarkable and rival fan or not, you have to praise them.
In terms of your comments about this being an ‘English loving sight’ as you put it. First of all it’s a site and second, half of the ties I picked out didn’t involve English clubs. I only mentioned five English team’s altogether and you can’t discredit four of them for their respective comebacks.
The manchester United one was 1-1 first leg how is that a come back?
@ Ola Ray
Because Juve had that all important away goal and then even went 2-0 up after 11 minutes at the Stadio Delle Alpi.
It wasn’t a comeback of mesmeric proportions but I feel it’s still worthy of a place in this list.
madschester united dont talk rubbish. Because u are a manu fan thats y u are talking like that . The whole word knows thats its the best ever match , so just shup up , dont feel jealous !!
Thank you for your article. I still remember Leverkusen vs Liverpool in UCL 2001-02. It’a an amazing game. Also Monaco vs Real Madrid in 2003-04. You can’t for get that.
I also have the article from the guardian to share with you guys. But it focuses purely on UCL.
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After Chelsea and Liverpool’s titanic battle at Stamford Bridge, we rank the most memorable Champions League 2008/09 encounters of all time
10. Deportivo La Coruna 4-3 Paris Saint-Germain (2000/01 group stage).
Leroy, the last-minute replacement for the injured Nicolas Anelka, scored twice for PSG as, following Jay-Jay Okocha’s fortunate opener, they established a 3-0 lead, Deportivo’s normally raucous Riazor stadium stunned to silence. Birmingham fans will wonder how Walter Pandiani could hold sway over European classics, but the substitute’s hat-trick of headers, along with a Diego Tristán goal, lead the most unbelievable of comebacks in the final half-hour
9. Milan 4-0 Barcelona (1993/94 final).
The great Barcelona side of Ronald Koeman, Hristo Stoichkov and Romario was expected to swat aside Fabio Capello’s Milan shorn of their hugely influential but suspended captain, Franco Baresi. Daniele Massaro scored twice in the first half as Milan dominated against their highly fancied opponents. Having set up Massaro’s second, Dejan Savićević deservedly capped a superb performance with the third, lobbing Andoni Zubizarreta. Marcel Desailly, in scoring the fourth, put his mark on a victory that made him the first player to win consecutive European Cups with different clubs
8. Man Utd 4-3 Real Madrid (2002/03 quarter-final second leg).
The phenomenon that was Ronaldo at his peak was given a standing ovation by the Old Trafford crowd after his hat-trick rendered United’s brave effort pointless. Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo and Steve McManaman all excelled in midfield for the Spanish side, prising open a United defence where the last line of defence was an unsure Fabien Barthez. Ruud van Nistelrooy scored his 14th Champions League goal of the season against his future club before David Beckham did the same, twice – but it was all just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic after Ronaldo’s display of power, pace and lethal finishing
7. Dynamo Kiev 3-3 Bayern Munich (1998/99 semi-final first leg).
Andriy Shevchenko and Kakha Kaladze put the Ukrainian side in the box seat with first-half goals only for Michael Tarnat to give the Germans a lifeline just before half-time with an extraordinary free-kick from 35 yards. Vitaliy Kosovksyi made it 3-1 on the restart before Steffan Effenberg fired home a trademark free-kick. The match was approaching its denouement when Carsten Jancker popped up inside the area to stun the majority of the 80,000 in the Olympic Stadium in Kiev. Bayern were, of course, to be on the wrong end of such a comeback in the final against Manchester United
6. Valencia 5-2 Lazio (1999/2000 quarter-final first leg).
A hat-trick from Gerard López was the difference between these two sides after a pulsating match that saw the conventional first leg strategy of keeping it tight dispensed with at the Mestalla. Gerard’s first in the fourth minute came two minutes after his team-mate Miguel Ángel Angulo had opened the scoring. Simone Inzaghi halved the deficit before Gerard scored twice, either side of half-time. Marcelo Salas gave hope to the Italians before Claudio Lopez’s injury-time strike demoted the return leg to dead rubber status
5. Chelsea 4-4 Liverpool (2008/09 quarter-final second leg).
Few expected thrills and spills when these two were pitted against each other for the fifth season in succession, which made the ludicrous 180 minutes that followed all the more joyous for the neutral, particularly the second instalment. Petr Cech forgot how to keep goal but Didier Drogba returned to his unplayable best. Each side’s Brazilian demonstrated nous from free-kicks in very different ways, Fernando Torres retreated, while Frank Lampard eventually excelled in a match that ebbed and flowed so much as to make even the armchair fan nauseous
4. Chelsea 4-2 Barcelona (2004/05 last-16 second leg).
Eidur Gudjohnsen, Frank Lampard and Damien Duff proved within 20 minutes that Jose Mourinho could adopt a devil-may-care attitude when the mood struck, but by half-time Ronaldinho, still in his pomp and certainly in the mood, struck – once from the penalty spot and then with the most glorious of 20-yard belters, preceded by an arrogant shuffle and no discernable backlift. Petr Cech saved brilliantly from future team-mate Juliano Belletti, Andres Iniesta and Carlos Puyol before John Terry won the game with a trademark header
3. Deportivo 4-0 Milan (2003/04 quarter-final second leg).
Never have Milan been made to look as feeble in defence as they were in the first 43 minutes of this match. Goals from Walter Pandiani, Juan Carlos Valeron and Albert Luque brought Deportivo level after they had lost the first leg 4-1 at San Siro. There was an inevitability to Gonzalez Fran’s second-half clincher as the Rossaneri’s defence was swept away in a blue and white cyclone
2. Juventus 2-3 Man Utd (1998/99 semi-final second leg).
This match brings two words to mind: “Roy Keane” – his performance and the residual effect it had on his team-mates was astounding, but what shouldn’t be forgotten is, having drawn level after Filippo Inzaghi’s early brace via their talismanic captain and Dwight Yorke, Alex Ferguson’s side were ahead on away goals, but they kept attacking and Andy Cole’s late tap-in was a deserved winner
1. Liverpool 3-3 Milan – Liverpool win 3-2 on pens (2004/05 final). Behind 3-0 at half-time to goals from Paolo Maldini and a brace from Hernan Crespo, a breathless six-minute spell and goals from Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso brought Liverpool level. Goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek excelled, not only in the shootout, but also with a stunning double save from Andriy Shevchenko at the end of normal time