And then there were eight. With the conclusion of the round of 16 of the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League, eight teams now remain in contention. The teams are Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, and Paris Saint Germain. With each round, the stakes increase as teams know they are just three steps away from the ultimate prize. First, however, is the matter of the quarter-finals, a stage where many great clashes have taken place.
Over the years, the Champions League has given us some excellent quarter-final games that have etched their name in the golden pages of football history.
So, without further ado, here are the top five quarter-final games in UEFA Champions League history..
Deportivo La Coruna 4-0 AC Milan 2003-04
Back in 2004, AC Milan were the definition of football royalty and boasted a squad stacked to the brim with talent. In the 2003-04 season, the Rossoneri boasted a team that consisted of players like Dida, Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Nesta, Cafu, Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorfm, Gattuso, Kaka, and Andriy Shevchenko, among others. So when they beat Deportivo La Coruna 4-1 in the first leg of the quarter-final, everyone expected them to finish the job in the second leg.
However, what happened was one of the best comebacks in the tournament’s history. Walter Pandiani, who scored Deportivo’s only goal in the first leg, added another in the return fixture. However, panic only set in after Juan Carlos Valeron scored from a header after a horrendous mistake by Dida in Milan’s goal. And the comeback was complete when Albert Luque scored the third in the 44th minute.
Deportivo were ahead on the now scraped away goals rule, but they didn’t rest on their laurels and went on to add a fourth in the 76th minute to cap off a historic night for Los Blanquiazules. They would be eliminated in the semi-final by eventual winners Porto.
🇪🇸 Deportivo La Coruna 4-0 AC Milan 🇮🇹pic.twitter.com/fgRTIB4IRT
— The Sportsman (@TheSportsman) April 19, 2023
Chelsea 4-4 Liverpool 2008-09
One of the most thrilling quarter-finals clashes in Champions League history took place between Chelsea and Liverpool in the 2008-09 Champions League. With a spot in the semi-final at stake, Chelsea played some brilliant football and won the first leg 3-1 away at Anfield, putting themselves in a commanding position for the return leg at Stamford Bridge.
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However, Liverpool came out all guns blazing and scored two goals from dead ball situations courtesy of Fabio Aurelio and Xabi Alonso. On aggregate, Liverpool were going through, but Chelsea started the second half like Liverpool, scoring two quick goals through Didier Drogba and Alex. Frank Lampard added another, and it appeared the tie was over. Liverpool, though, had other ideas as they scored two goals in two minutes. The Reds needed just one more to qualify, but Lampard extinguished their hopes with a neat finish that ended the game at 4-4.
Chelsea 4-4 Liverpool. A #UCL epic 12 years ago today! 🍿🍿🍿 pic.twitter.com/ncZynDrCzL
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 14, 2021
Juventus 0-3 Real Madrid 2017-18
The two-legged tie between Real Madrid and Juventus had all the features of a classic thriller game. However, the game is remembered even after all these years due to Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored perhaps the most astonishing goal in the tournament’s history. Real Madrid traveled to Turin in the first leg and took the lead in the third minute through Ronaldo. However, it was his second goal that caught all the limelight as he executed a perfect bicycle kick, hitting the ball at an astounding height of 2.38 metres. Barcelona added another to put the tie to the bed.
Cristiano Ronaldo INCREDIBLE Bicycle kick vs Juventus. Arguably the best goal in UCL history pic.twitter.com/U38uVV42KX
— Janty (@CFC_Janty) February 5, 2023
It appeared that Los Blancos had almost one foot in the semi-finals, but Juventus produced one of their best away performances in the return leg to take a 3-0 lead at the Santiago Bernabeu. However, with seconds remaining in normal time, Madrid won a penalty, which Ronaldo duly converted to help his team qualify for the semi-final.
Barcelona 2-8 Bayern Munich 2019-20
Barcelona, in recent years, have suffered several setbacks both on and off the field. However, none come close to their humiliating defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich in the 2019-20 Champions League season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all the games were scheduled to be played in Lisbon. And with no home advantage for any team, all games were played as a one-legged tie.
Barcelona were drawn against Bayern Munich, a team they had beaten on aggregate on the previous occasion in the 2014-15 season. Many expected another tight clash, but what followed was one of the heaviest one-sided clashes in the competition’s history.
Thomas Muller opened the scoring inside the third minute, but Barcelona hit straight back after David Alaba turned a cross into his own goal. After that, Bayern hit three unanswered goals to take a 4-1 lead to half-time. Barcelona pulled on back through Luis Suarez, but Bayern added four of their own.
Goal Bayern Munich. Philippe Coutinho. 2-8.
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 14, 2020
The worst sight of the night was when Phillipe Coutinho, a player on loan at Bayern from Barcelona, made a substitute appearance for the Germans and scored two goals. The game ended at 8-2, Barcelona’s worst defeat in the Champions League.