The Champions League has never had a repeat winner – this lends us to believe that it is a competition that is utterly unpredictable. However, given the nature of modern football, it’s actually a shock to see sides other than the Barcelonas, Bayern Munichs and Real Madrids of the world make a significant dent in the Champions League proper.
However, knockout football remains a great leveller and there have been lesser lights that have traversed deep into the Champions League, with some even shocking the footballing universe by going all the way. Everyone loves an underdog story, and the annual Champions League drama usually provides us one with quite some regularity.
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Here are 7 of the most shocking Champions League runs
1) Nantes 95/96
Nantes’ inclusion in the list of surprising Champions League runs is a bit of a misnomer. Le Canaris were champions of France in the 1994/95 season, and are generally considered to be one of the biggest clubs in France. However, the 1995/96 vintage of the club from Brittany were a special lot, and narrowly missed out on making the Champions League final, going down to eventual champions Juventus.
Nantes’ defensive platform was placed around a very familiar name, Claude Makelele. The Frenchman’s talents were already acknowledged in his native land, but Europe was only just waking up to his undoubted defensive skills. Makelele shrugged off the semifinal loss to Juventus to later win the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid at the turn of the millennium.
Boasting talented youngsters like Japhet N’Doram, Patrice Loko, Reynald Pedros and Nicolas Ouedec, the Jean-Claude Suadeau managed side finished 2nd in the group stages that involved Panathinaikos, AaB and Porto. The Canaries then defeated Russian champs Spartak Moscow 4-2 on aggregate, to earn a semifinal showdown with Juventus.
Having lost the first leg at the Stadio Delle Alpi 2-0, and trailing 2-1 in the 50th minute of the second leg, Juventus seemed comfortably placed. However, goals from N’Doram and Franc Renou set the cat among the pigeons, as the Bianconeri nervously held off a late charge from the French side to ultimately triumph 4-3 on aggregate, and make the finals where they defeated Ajax on penalties.
What’s rather tragic is that one of France’s most successful clubs went downhill rather quickly, as Nantes were relegated to Ligue 2, and only earned promotion in the 2013/14 season. Things are looking up though for the club that produced Marcel Desailly, Didier Deschamps, Mickael Landreau, Jeremy Toulalan et al, as the Canaries are 6th in Ligue 1 standings, just 3 points off a return to Europe.
2) Deportivo la Coruna 00/01 to 03/04
Deportivo la Coruna achieved European fame at the turn of the millennium, as the Spanish side enjoyed a four-year spell of success in the UEFA Champions League. Depor made their debut in Europe after their historic first La Liga title in 1999/00, reaching the quarterfinals in the 2000/01 edition of the UEFA Champions League.
It was a rather excellent bow too, as Deportivo made finished top of their group that included Juventus, while they finished as runners-up in the 2nd group stage that included a double over PSG, and creditable results against AC Milan and Galatasaray. The Spaniards were drawn against surprise entrants Leeds United in the quarter-finals and came rather close to knocking them out as they narrowly went out 3-2 on aggregate.
It was the next season that was even more incredible as Deportivo defeated Manchester United in both their group stage games, most notably downing Sir Alex Ferguson’s side 3-2 at Old Trafford, while also convincingly defeating Arsenal and Juventus in all their 2nd group stage games. However, the run ended on a surprise, as Manchester United had their revenge in the quarter-finals as the Red Devils won 5-2 on aggregate.
Deportivo’s best Champions League run came in the 2003/04 season, as the Spaniards went all the way to the semifinal, where they bowed out to eventual winners FC Porto. However Depor were the most entertaining side to watch, as their games were wildly unpredictable, including a stunning 8-3 reverse with finalists AS Monaco in the group stages.
The tiny Spanish club’s crowning moment however, was their 4-0 demolishing of a legendary AC Milan side in the quarterfinals, overturning a 4-1 loss in the first leg to go through to the semifinals with a 5-4 aggregate, after having taken care of another Italian giant in Juventus in the Round-of-16.
3) APOEL Nicosia 11/12
Apoel pulled off arguably the greatest Champions League shock by making the quarterfinals of the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League. The scale of the Cypriot champions’ achievement can be gauged by the simple fact that APOEL needed to play 6 qualifying rounds just to make it to the group stages of the Champions League.
The Nicosia-based club were rank outsiders when they were drawn with teams of the caliber of Zenit St. Petersburg, Shaktar Donetsk and FC Porto. This was only their second ever appearance in the Champions League proper, but APOEL stunned Zenit in the first game itself, winning 2-1 while also defeating Porto at home.
Three draws in their other games earned APOEL qualification to the knockout stages with a game remaining, which allowed them to still celebrate despite losing 2-0 to Shaktar Donetsk in their final game, with APOEL topping the group with 9 points.
The fairytale looked like it would come to an end when APOEL were drawn with French giants Lyon in the Round-of-16, a team that had a history of dumping out bigwigs like Real Madrid at this stage. When Alexandre Lacazette scored in the first leg to give Lyon a 1-0 win in France, it seemed as if APOEL were destined to finally give way to the cold, hard logic of the Champions League.
However, an early goal from Gustavo Manduca set the cat among the pigeons and APOEL held out for 120 agonizing minutes, thus sending the tie into a penalty shootout. Dionisios Chiotis was the Cypriot club’s hero, as the APOEL keeper saved penalties from Lacazette and Michel Bastos to send the 23000 fans gathered inside the GSP stadium, Nicosia into a frenzy.
APOEL’s dreamlike run was even better as the minnows were drawn with the most storied Champions League club, Real Madrid, in the quarterfinals. Despite an 8-2 aggregate loss, walking out to the Champions League anthem at the Santiago Bernabeu surely represented the pinnacle of the career of many of the APOEL squad.
4) AS Monaco 03/04
AS Monaco stunned the world of football when the Ligue 1 side made it to the finals of the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League final. The principality club performed a wonderful giant-killing act en route to the final but heartbreakingly lost to FC Porto in the final.
AS Monaco began their UEFA Champions League campaign drawn in a group with PSV Eindhoven, AEK Athens and Deportivo la Coruna. With Fernando Morientes, Dado Prso and Ludovic Guily banging in the goals at the business end of the pitch, it was no surprise when the principality club topped their group with 11 points, having scored 15 goals in 6 games, including an 8-3 win over Depor and a 4-0 hammering of AEK.
The Ligue 1 side were handed an easy draw in the Round-of-16, although travelling to Moscow to take on Lokomotiv Moskva affected Monaco, as they lost the first leg 2-1, but were grateful for Morientes’ away goal, when Prso gave them the lead in the second leg, thus eventually triumphing on away goals after the tie finished 2-2 on aggregate.
It was the quarterfinals that were the most dramatic, however, as Morientes came back to haunt the club he was loaned from, Real Madrid. The Spanish striker scored a vital away goal when Real triumphed 4-2 at the Bernabeu, and a brace from Giuly coupled with Morientes’ strike meant that Monaco won the second leg 3-1, thus resulting in the French side going through on away goals yet again, with the tie ending 5-5 on aggregate.
Monaco displayed their spirited nature in the semifinal’s against Chelsea, as despite going down to 10 men with the score at 1-1, came back to win 3-1 in the first leg. With Chelsea leading 2-0 in the second leg, the dream seemed over, but Moreintes and Ibarra scored to stun Chelsea and earn Monaco their first Champions League final appearance ever.
However, Monaco’s famed backbone completely disappeared in the final, as the the Ligue 1 side meekly surrendered to FC Porto, ultimately going down by 3 goals as they had to settle for the runner’s up spot.
5) FC Porto 03/04
The Portuguese club’s Champions League victory in the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League final remains the most shocking result of Europe’s premier club tournament. Jose Mourinho came to the limelight with superbly mastermined wins all throughout the tournament, that catapulted him and many of his squad to worldwide fame.
Porto began their Champions League campaign with a litmus test as they travelled to the Santiago Bernabeu to face Real Madrid. An early Blancos goal meant that Mourinho was staring at his players being demoralized, but Derlei struck away a penalty in the first half after Deco was fouled. Porto held on to draw the game, a defensive block that would come to be a trademark of Mourinho.
Impressive results in the intimidating atmospheres of Marseille and FK Partizan’s stadiums soon followed, including a 3-2 win at the Stade Velodrome, although a 1-3 loss to Real Madrid at the Dragao meant that Porto finished 2nd in the group behind Real Madrid, earning 11 points from 6 games.
Finishing second meant that Porto were offered a tough draw against Manchester United and were staring at an expected defeat when Quinton Fortune gave United the lead away from hom in the 1st leg. Benni McCarthy struck back twice to win the tie 2-1 for Porto, which set up the tie intriguingly when Scholes put United ahead at Old Trafford.
However, Porto dug deep and Costinha struck in the 90th minute which resulted in the iconic sight of Jose Mourinho’s celebratory run down the Old Trafford touchline.
Porto did not need to exert themselves as much when they got past Lyon in the quarter-finals, a 2-0 win followed by a 2-2 draw away from home sent the Portugues side to a semifinal fixture with Deportivo. A solitary away goal from Derlei was all that was needed to earn Porto a spot in the finals, although the rear-guard action was coupled with some blatant time-wasting.
Porto were the opposite side in the final, as Carlos Alberto, Deco and Dmitri Alenichev got on the scoresheet as AS Monaco barely offered up an answer to Porto’s bright and effervescent play in attack. The final whistle blew to spark of memorable scenes of wild celebrations that cemented the Portuguese side and Jose Mourinho firmly in UEFA Champions League folklore.
