Football is a beautiful game. But it’s not just a game when it comes to the rivalries between the clubs. The encounter between two rival clubs is often a fierce affair which is fought both on and off the pitch. Some of the derbies in European Football have a history which dates back to the 19th Century. Every year, these fixtures produce some of the most memorable moments of the season.
Most of the times these 2 games with the rival clubs make the difference in the title chase ,especially if you’re in Spain or Germany where the league is dominated by a couple of clubs. While beating the rival club to the league itself is an achievement, winning the league at your archrivals’ home is icing on the cake. Some major clubs in Europe have achieved this feat of sealing the league title at the home turf of their nemesis.
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We take a look at such 5 instances where the title was clinched at a major rivals’ home. The list includes some of the most popular football clubs on the globe.
#1. Rangers win at Celtic Park,1998-1999
The rivalry between Celtic and Rangers is maybe the most intense feud in the United Kingdom. The two clubs are the most successful clubs in Scottland, sharing 101 league titles between them. The rivalry even predates the Scottish Football league which was founded in 1890.
The two clubs met first time in 1888 in which Celtic won 5-2, first time Celtic played as an organised club. Adding the fuel to the rivalry is the fact that both clubs are based in Glasgow. The derby is known as “Old Firm Derby”
On 2nd May 1999, Rangers travelled to the Celtic Park hoping to clinch the title by winning the game. The clash between the two heavyweights of the Scottish Football turned out to be a stormy affair, to say the least. The game was later dubbed as “Shame Game”
Rangers won the game 3-0, thanks to a brace from Neil McCann and a goal from Jorg Albertz, winning the title at Celtic Park for the first time in more than 100 years. But the talking points of the game were hardly about the Football.
Referee Hugh Dallas was struck by a coin thrown from the stands and suffered a cut on his forehead. Seconds later after receiving the treatment , Dallas bravely awarded a Penalty to Rangers, sparking protests from the fans. Fans tried to invade the pitch twice while the game was being played. Three Celtic players were sent off in a game which was nothing less than a chaos. Over a 100 people were arrested around the stadium that day. The pitch invaders and the person who threw the coins received a life ban.
#2 Barcelona humble Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, 2008-2009
The race for the Spanish League title is a two-horse race. With some rare wins from Athletico Madrid and Valencia, Real Madrid and Barcelona have dominated La Liga right from the start. The “El Classico”, is the most anticipated fixture of the season and it turned out to be a title decider in the 2008-09 season.
Before Barcelona’s trip to the capital, Real went 18 games unbeaten, winning 17 times. The last team to beat Los Blancos was none other than their arch rivals, FC Barcelona. Madrid desperately needed a win to close the gap over Barca while a win for Guardiola’s men would virtually seal the title.
But Barcelona showed exactly why only they deserved to win the title that season. The Catalans completely destroyed the Los Blancos on their home turf. After Gonzalo Higuain headed Real ahead, Thierry Henry curled an equaliser to level the things at Santiago Bernabeu
Defender Carlos Puyol then nodded Barca in front. Real tried to get back into the game with a Sergio Ramos goal but Lionel Messi and Henry both scored a brace to sink Real further. Gerard Pique tapped in the sixth as the game ended with a scoreline of 6-2. The victory would go down in the annals of Spanish football history as one of the most convincing and one-sided wins ever in El Clásico.
The humiliation of Real Madrid meant that the league title went to the Catalans. Barcelona completed the historic treble that season, which saw the rise of one young manager named Pep Guardiola.
#3 Real Madrid’s Revenge at the Camp Nou, 2011-2012
Since facing the humiliating 2-6 defeat at the hands of their arch rivals, Real Madrid were desperate to win the title again. Barcelona won back to back titles in next two years. But Real finally got their revenge in the third year.
Putting up an impressive performance throughout the season, Los Blancos travelled to Catalonia on 21st April 2012, which turned out to be the defining match of the season. Barcelona needed a win to keep their title hopes alive while a draw or a win would seal the title for Madrid.
Real started the game brightly, Sami Khedira capitalising on a mistake by Barca keeper Victor Valdes to open the scoring. The Catalans searched desperately for an equaliser for rest of the first half but failed to score a goal.
Barcelona’s title hopes were given a lifeline in the 2nd half when substitute Alexis Sanchez found the net merely seconds after coming on to the pitch. The game was level again.
But it only took two minutes and 19 seconds for Real to take the lead again. After a superb through ball from Mesut Ozil, Cristiano Ronaldo brilliantly stepped around Valdes to score the goal and put the Capital side in front. After the goal, Ronaldo did his now infamous “Calm Down” celebration, mocking the crowd at Camp Nou.
The victory sealed the title for Real Madrid, ending the dominance of Barcelona and gave Jose Mourinho his only Spanish league title to date.
#4 The Gunners win at the Theatre of Dreams, 2001-2002
The 2001/02 title race was closely-fought and full of twists and turns. Arsenal, Manchester United, and Liverpool all were fighting for the glory. But it was the Gunners who eventually came out on the top.
Arsenal had lit up the Premiership with their quick-passing , scoring in every single league game. They never lost a game away from home that season.
Four days before the trip to Manchester, Gunners won the FA Cup beating Chelsea 2-0 with goals from Ray Parlour and Freddie Ljungberg. They needed just a point to complete the double.
To have any hopes of retaining their crown, Manchester United had to beat Arsenal at Old Trafford in the penultimate match of the season. But it was the visitors who finally broke the deadlock in the second half.
Freddie Ljungberg broke into the penalty area after being fed by Ray Parlour. His shot was saved by Fabien Barthez but the goalkeeper failed to keep hold of the ball. Sylvian Wiltord then capitalised on the rebound and slammed the ball into the net.United fought hard but couldn’t break the disciplined Arsenal defence and lost the game.
The win sparked wild celebrations in the away section of Old Trafford. A “Champions Section” banner was spotted in the away stands.
This was the only time a team other than Manchester United won the title at Old Trafford. Leicester City came close to repeating this feat but a 1-1 draw meant the Foxes had to wait till Chelsea drew with Tottenham to seal the title.
#5 Gunners do it again at White Hart Lane, 2003-2004
Between May 2003 and October 2004, Arsenal’s “Invincibles” squad played 49 games, won 36, drawn 13, lost none and won the Premier League title in at the home of their city rivals.
“The Invincibles” overcame every challenge that came their way. They came very close to defeat at Old Trafford but Rudd Van Nistelrooy missed the penalty and the game ended in a 0-0 draw. Gunners secured some memorable victories at Stanford Bridge and Anfield while Robert Pires and Thierry Henry scored some great goals along the way.
So when Arsenal travelled to White Hart Lane in “North London Derby”, they needed a solitary point to clinch the Premiership while Tottenham Hotspurs were fighting the relegation battle. When the game finally started, Patrick Vieira slid the ball home in 3rd minute after a counter-attack to give gunners the lead. The Frenchman then combined with Dennis Bergkamp to set up Robert Pires who calmly slotted the ball home.
However, the game had just started. Spurs kept knocking on the door and finally on the 62nd minute, Jamie Redknapp scored to reduce the deficit. Tottenham never gave up after the first goal and were rewarded a penalty in stoppage time. Robbie Keane did no mistake on the spot and earned his team a crucial point, which meant Arsenal were crowned the champions of the league, on the home of their city rivals.
Success rarely tasted sweeter.
