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Barcelona won the Champions League with a 3-1 win over Juventus, in what was one of the most entertaining editions of the competition in a long time. The 2014/15 UEFA Champions League gave us a lot of moments to cherish, moments that amazed us, moments that had us applauding, moments that left us awe-struck.
Right from the qualifiers to the final, we take a look at 10 of the most memorable moments from this season’s Champions League –
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Cosmin Moti’s penalty heroics to help Ludogorets qualify
Ludogorets’ qualifier against Steaua Bucharest saw them having to fight back from a 1-0 deficit in the first leg to secure qualification. They leveled the scores on aggregate in the second leg through Wanderson’s goal, and what followed next couldn’t have been predicted.
Their goalkeeper Vladislav Stoyanov was sent off in extra time, and so defender Cosmin Moti donned the gloves for the shootout. What followed was amazing, as he scored his first penalty, before saving two, to ensure that his team progressed to the group stages of the Champions League.
David Luiz’s header against former team Chelsea
The Brazilian, who is now officially the world’s most expensive defender, went up against his former team Chelsea when PSG were drawn against them in the Champions League round of 16.
In what was a very tightly fought encounter over two legs, the Frenchmen defeated the Londoners on away goals after the tie ended 3-3. Although it was Thiago Silva’s header that secured the 2nd away goal for PSG to draw level in extra-time, it was Luiz’s towering header in the second half of normal time that ensured that the tie went to extra-time.
Oh, and yeah, the away side played with 10 men for all but 30 minutes of the match as Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sent off harshly. Talk about making an impression on your return to your former club!
Luiz Adriano scoring 5 goals in a match
Shakhtar Donetsk’s Luiz Adriano scored 5 goals against BATE Borisov in a group match, accomplishing what only Lionel Messi had done before in the Champions League era.
Adriano pounced on what was clearly haplessness on the part of the Borisov defence to score 4 goals in 16 first-half minutes, and rounded it off by netting his 5th from the penalty spot in the second half, as Shakhtar defeated the Belarusians 7-0.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo breaking Raul's goalscoring records
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo broke Real Madrid legend Raul’s record of 71 Champions League goals by scoring his 72nd in the tournament proper against APOEL Nicosia, in what was his 91st match in the competition.
Ronaldo also broke a record held by Raul, that of highest goalscorer in European competitions, as he scored his 77th and 78th goals against Schalke. He ended the season with 80 goals in all European competitions while standing one goal ahead of Messi for goals in the Champions League, with 78.
Monaco defeating Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium
Arsenal would have thought that they had easy passage to the next round of the Champions League when they were drawn against Monaco, but the result showed a completely different picture. The French team defeated the Gunners at the Emirates, thanks to goals from Kondogbia, Berbatov and Carrasco.
The home team did pull one goal back through Oxlade-Chamberlain, but their attempt to go forward to try and get the equaliser saw them picked off on the counter by the away side. This was a classic case of a team being made to pay for taking their opponents lightly, and Monaco punished Arsenal with aplomb.
Bayern Munich scoring 5 goals against Porto in the 1st half
Bayern Munich had to work hard to win their quarter-final against Porto, as they had been defeated 3-1 in the first leg. However, they came back with a bang, as they blitzkrieged their way to a 6-1 win over the Portuguese side in the 2nd leg, scoring 5 goals in the first half in the process.
The goals came from Thomas Muller, a brace from Robert Lewandowski, Thiago and Jerome Boateng, as they left Porto shell-shocked with their onslaught, and made their way into the semi-finals in style, winning 7-4 on aggregate.
Lionel Messi nutmegging James Milner
Barcelona's talisman Lionel Messi showed that he was playing at a completely different level this year, as he led the Catalans to an unprecedented 2nd treble, as they vanquished all opponents they faced. During the course of the season, he produced multiple moments which left spectators amazed, one of which was when he nutmegged James Milner in the second leg.
As the Blaugrana were cruising past the English champions, Messi showed something which was very cheeky, yet left people shaking their head in disbelief. He had the ball on the right touchline and then slipped it through Milner’s feet, something that prompted former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola to react like a fan.
The Leroy Sane show against Real Madrid
Leroy Sane is a name that will now be imprinted in the minds of all Real Madrid fans. After all, the 19-year-old had terrorised Real in the 2nd leg of their Champions League tie, threatening to eliminate them from the competition. The Spaniards survived to lose 4-3 on the day, going through 5-4 on aggregate.
The moment that captured everyone’s imagination was Leroy Sane’s goal, which was Schalke’s third in the match, as he curled a delicious shot right into the far corner, past a helpless Iker Casillas. That goal helped them level the match at 3-3 and put the fear of elimination in Real’s hearts.
Alvaro Morata's goal at the Bernabeu eliminating Real Madrid
This season’s Champions League will also be remembered for Alvaro Morata scoring the goal that eliminated his former team Real Madrid from the competition. The Spaniard had also scored Juventus’s opening goal in the 1st leg in Turin and had refused to celebrate.
In the 2nd leg, Real had taken the lead thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty and were looking all set to make the finals for the 2nd season in a row. However, Morata’s goal ensured that his team drew level 1-1 on the night and went ahead on aggregate 3-2, and they saw the tie out, to move to the finals.
Messi leaving Jerome Boateng for dead and scoring against Neuer
The Champions League moment of the season, however, had to be Lionel Messi destroying Jerome Boateng and scoring with a sublime chip past Manuel Neuer. The little Argentine picked the ball up a little outside the box and proceeded to dribble towards goal.
He showed Boateng one way and then went the other, leaving the German defender with no chance, and then finished his run with a beautiful lob that sailed over Neuer’s head and doubled Barcelona’s advantage in the 1st leg of their Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich.
