Liverpool must score three times against Real Madrid on Wednesday just to force extra time, but it’s been done before.
Divock Origi (right) celebrates scoring the fourth Liverpool goal during the Liverpool v Barcelona UEFA Champions League semi-final 2nd leg match at Anfield on May 7, 2019.
If any team can recover a three-goal deficit in the Champions League then surely it must be Liverpool?
The Reds know all about coming back from the dead on the grandest of stages, having famously clinched their fifth European Cup in 2005 after turning around a 3-0 half-time scoreline to go on and clinch the prized silverware following a penalty shootout in the Ataturk Stadium.
But if Jurgen Klopp’s side are to realise their dream of a romantic return to Istanbul for this year’s final, they must repeat the feat in the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night, after losing 5-2 to Real Madrid in their round of 16 first leg tie at Anfield.
The odds are heavily stacked in the Spanish club’s favour, but as history has shown us, should the Reds be able to complete mission impossible, it will not be the first time a team has achieved such a remarkable comeback in Europe’s elite knockout competition. In fact, it wouldn’t even be the first time that Liverpool themselves have overturned a 3-0 first leg deficit, as Lionel Messi can testify.
Here’s a look at some of the greatest second leg comebacks in the history of the Champions League. If you don’t feel inspired after assessing these modern classics then there’s no hope for you on Wednesday.
Paris Saint-Germain 1-3 Manchester United (agg. 3-3 Man United win on away goals)
Under the stewardship of caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Manchester United looked to be heading out of the Champions League in the round of 16 after losing 2-0 to PSG at Old Trafford, before falling further behind in the return fixture. Romelu Lukaku scored a first-half double in the second leg, either side of a Juan Bernat goal, which still gave the Parisians the aggregate advantage. But deep in injury time, United were awarded a penalty after Presnel Kimpembe was adjudged to have handled the ball in his own 18-yard box and Marcus Rashford completed the comeback from the spot to put the Red Devils through on away goals. The result helped earn Solskjær the manager’s job on a permanent basis.
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur (agg. 3-3 Spurs win on away goals)
Few football matches have captured the sharp contrast between sporting ecstasy and despair quite like Tottenham’s remarkable semi-final triumph over a crestfallen Ajax. The young Dutch side had blazed a trail through the competition and beat Spurs 1-0 in their own back yard before going 2-0 up at home to build up a commanding 3-0 lead. But with just 45 minutes between them and a Madrid final, Ajax’s world fell apart as Lucas Moura hit a stunning second half hat-trick that put the North London club into their first ever European Cup final on the away goals rule. Moura’s third goal arrived in the sixth minute of injury time, sparking wild scenes of celebration amongst the travelling supporters as the heartbroken Ajax players collapsed on the ground in disbelief.
Barcelona 6-1 Paris Saint-Germain (agg. 6-5 to Barcelona)
In 2017, Luis Enrique’s Barcelona side became the first club in the history of the Champions League to overcome a four-goal deficit in a bizarre match against PSG at the Camp Nou. The French side had stunned their opponents in the first leg with a 4-0 win, but that was nothing compared to what would unfold in the reverse fixture. Having got the aggregate score back to 4-3, a goal from PSG’s Edinson Carvani left the Catalan giants needing another three goals or they would be out. Neymar hit a four-minute brace as the match ticked into injury time before Sergi Roberto prodded home an unlikely sixth and winning goal in the 95th minute. Recalling the moment, he said: “I didn’t know if I was dreaming. I have never known a noise like that.”
