Top 5 greatest UEFA Champions League giant-killing runs

Every season’s UEFA Champions League campaign has a overflowing list of star names, as the continent’s biggest sides take on each other to compete for the world’s biggest club competition.

However, over the years we have seen a number of upsets and giant-killing runs, as minnows and lesser names have got the better of their more established counterparts, making a name for themselves on the international scene. Here is a list of the five best runs made by minnows of the competition, who reached the latter stages of the Champions League.

A few noteworthy runs that missed out on the list of final 5 were Villarreal (2005-06), Dynamo Kyiv (1998-99), APOEL (2011-12), Schalke (2010-11).

5. Bayer Leverkusen (2001-02 season)

Bayer Leverkusen were celebrating their entry into the Champions League after beating 5th placed Hertha Berlin by just 1 point in the 2000-01 season. However, after coming 4th, they had to play a qualifying round against Red Star Belgrade, which they won 3-0.

In the first group stage of the main draw, they were pitted against Barcelona, Lyon and Fenerbahce, and were able to come second behind the La Liga giants to enter the second round of group stages.

There, they faced Arsenal, Juventus and Deportivo, and amazingly were able to top the group, in turn setting up a quarterfinal against Liverpool. After losing the first leg 1-0, Leverkusen were up against it, but were able to bounce back with a thrilling 4-2 win in the second leg to make the semis against another English club in Manchester United.

A see-saw 2-2 draw at Old Trafford, followed by a 1-1 draw at the BayArena helped the Germans beat United by the away goals rule, setting up a final with Real Madrid. In the end, Zinedine Zidane’s memorable volley turned out to be the winner for Los Blancos, as they beat Bayer 2-1, but the Bundesliga outfit consisting of the likes of Michael Ballack, Ze Roberto, Lucio and Dimitar Berbatov were the talk of the town for their giant-killing run to the finals.

4. Leeds United (2000-01 season)

Having finished third in the previous Premier League season, a young Leeds United team made Europe’s premier league competition for the first time in their history after the competition’s rebranding to the Champions League in the 2000-01 season.

After beating 1860 Munich in the third round of qualifying, Leeds were joined in Group H by AC Milan, Barcelona and Besiktas. Amazingly, David O’Leary’s side were still able to hold their own, and finished second in the group, with Barcelona dropping out of the competition.

In the second group stage, they faced tournament favourites Real Madrid, a red-hot Lazio side that had won the Serie A in the previous season, and an Anderlecht team that had the ability to beat any team on its day. However, 2 wins in 3 away games helped the Premier League side end in 2nd place, earning them a place in the quarters.

There, they faced Deportivo, who were the La Liga champions at the time, and blitzed them 3-0 at home in the first leg. Despite losing 2-0 away from home, Leeds marched onto the semis, where they faced another Spanish side in Valencia.

Their dream run was ended by Los Che, and very soon, Leeds dropped into the second division after amassing massive debts. However, the 2000-01 Champions League run remains one of their best moments in recent times, where they stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the continent’s best sides.

3. Monaco (2003-04 season)

Many might remember the 2003-04 Champions League as Jose Mourinho’s first triumph in the competition, but Monaco also had a great run that year, reaching the finals before losing to Mourinho’s Porto side.

Monaco had finished Ligue 1 in second the previous season to guarantee themselves automatic qualification to the Champions League, and topped a relatively easy group stage to set up an encounter against Lokomotiv Moscow in the Round of 16.

However, their biggest triumph was a quarterfinal victory against a Real Madrid side that boasted Zinedine Zidane, Raul, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo, David Beckham, and Iker Casillas, among others. Despite trailing 4-2 in the first leg, Monaco didn’t give up, and edged the La Liga giants on the away goals rule after a 3-1 home win.

They faced Chelsea in the semifinals in the first year of Roman Abramovich’s revolution, and beat them 5-3 to reach the finals, where they lost 3-0 to Porto.

2. Valencia (1999-00 season)

Having just finished one point ahead of Celta Vigo in the 1998-99 La Liga season, a Valencia team bereft of big names just about managed to make the Champions League for the following season.

This was at a time when the Champions League had two group stages, and Valencia topped Group F in the first stage, ahead of Bayern Munich, who came in second. In the second group stages, they were close on the heels of defending champions Manchester United, but finished 3 points behind them to reach the quarter finals.

In the quarters, they faced Lazio, who at the time were Italy’s strongest team, with players like Juan Sebastian Veron, Pavel Nedved, Roberto Mancini, Alessandro Nesta, Diego Simeone and Marcelo Salas in their roster. However, the underdogs managed to win the tie 5-3, thanks to a massive 5-2 win at the Mestalla.

In the semis, they faced another strong Barcelona side that had the likes of Luis Figo, Patrick Kluivert, Rivaldo, and Pep Guardiola, but were again able to beat them 5-3 on aggregate to reach the first-ever all-Spanish final in the Champions League against Real Madrid.

Their luck ran out in the final as Real beat them 3-0, but by then they had enhanced their reputation with a fairytale run in the competition. They followed up this success the following year as well, reaching the final of the Champions League again, only to end up on the losing end against Bayern Munich.

1. Porto (2003-04 season)

2003-04 will always be remembered in footballing folklore as the season that saw the birth of managerial great Jose Mourinho, who guided his unheralded Porto side to victory in the Champions League.

The Portuguese side finished second in Group F behind Real Madrid, and thus were handed a tough tie against Manchester United in the Round of 16. However, Mourinho’s men were not to be denied, as a 2-1 home win followed by an incredible last-minute equaliser from Francisco Costinha at Old Trafford helped Porto claim a memorable two-legged victory.

A tight two-legged tie against Deportivo La Coruna in the semifinals ended 1-0 in favour of the Portuguese outfit, and a 3-0 win in the final at the Veltins-Arena against Monaco helped Porto to their second European Cup, with the success springboarding Mourinho’s managerial career as well.

Check out a video of their amazing run: