The Top 5 Upsets in UEFA Champions League History
No matter how strongly you can argue that sport is a game of numbers, history is littered with moments of sheer madness that defy all predictions and logic. Such moments of improbability are what keep us glued to every contest; after all, narratives characterised by hope and determination are irresistibly admirable to even the casual viewer. In the wake of the Moldovan top flight’s third-placed team FC Sherriff Tiraspol digging in to secure a 2–1 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League, it is worth taking a look at the archives for some more of the tournament’s most impressive underdog triumphs.
5. Celtic 2–1 Barcelona (8th November 2012). In the group stages of the 2012–13 tournament, the SPL’s Celtic put on a gritty showing against a titanic Barcelona side in Glasgow. Knowing that they were unlikely to dominate the Spanish giants, Celtic put in a shift that saw them graft for their chances and take them when they came. In true underdog fashion, the hosts had only 5 shots, 11% of possession and over 800 passes less than their rivals but managed to grind out a victory nonetheless.
4. Barcelona 1–2 Rubin Kazan (20th October 2009). Barcelona were on the wrong end of an upset defeat some years before, this time in a home match with Russian side Rubin Kazan. The visitors scored in the second minute before Zlatan Ibrahimovic levelled after the break. The Catalonians thought they had spared their blushes but a strike from Gokdeniz Karadeniz with just over ten minutes left in the match condemned Pep Guardiola’s team to a shocking defeat. At this point in history, Barcelona were one of the greatest teams on Earth boasting players such as Messi, Xavi, Iniesta and Pique, making Kazan’s wonderful victory all the more impressive.
3. BATE Borisov 3–1 Bayern Munich (2nd October 2012). Another upset from the group stage of the 2012–13 edition saw Belarusian minnows BATE Borisov defeat a Bayern team containing Manuel Neuer, Frank Ribery and Tony Kroos. The fact that Bayern went on to win the whole tournament by defeating clubs such as Arsenal, Juventus and Barcelona before eventually overcoming Borussia Dortmund in the final makes the result all the more shocking.
2. APOEL 1–0 Lyon (4–3 on penalties), (8th March 2012). Taking advantage of a strong group stage performance and riding on the back of becoming the first Cypriot team to qualify for the knockout stages of a continental tournament, APOEL Nicosia were largely written off when they faced Olympique Lyon in the round of 16. Having suffered a 1–0 defeat in France, the underdogs were looking likely to bow out of the tournament after a respectable run until an early strike from in-form Gustavo Manduca flipped the script completely. Neither side could break the deadlock and the game went to penalties in front of the Nicosian home crowd. Hugo Lloris in the Lyon goal could not keep out the scrappy outsiders who won the shootout 4–3.
1.Deportivo La Coruna 4–0 AC Milan (7th April 2004). This entry tops the list due to the gravity of the match and the mountainous odds Deportivo overcame to secure the result. Facing the reigning champions AC Milan and suffering a 4–1 defeat in Italy, Deportivo La Coruna faced the near-impossible task of winning by a four-goal margin. They did not waver however and scored in the opening five minutes. Leading 3–0 at the break, progress to the semi-final for the first time in the club’s history was not certain until the club captain, Fran, came off the bench to score the winner. History was made against all the odds and it remains one of the club’s finest moments.
Max Pleasance
