Upsets have become a part of sports since the dawn of time. They usually occur at the very last moment – after every single team has performed their best play – and they often decide the result of a game. Today we take a look at some of the craziest upsets in football history. The Champions League is the flagship competition organized by the European Club Association (ECA). Its first edition took place from 1955 to 1992, before being revived in 1996. Since then, the tournament has become Europe’s biggest club competition, with clubs from all over Europe competing against each other.
From the beginning, the European Cup was an extremely challenging tournament. In addition to featuring teams from across Europe, it also included two English teams who had never won the trophy. There were many memorable moments in the early years, such as Liverpool’s victory in 1961, AC Milan’s win in 1967, and Inter’s triumph in 1969. However, the latter two victories were contested in controversial circumstances. Nevertheless, these games remain some of the most exciting matches ever played in the history of soccer. Over the years, the majority of upsets in the competition have come from lower-ranked football teams advancing to the knockouts over higher-seeded teams. In recent seasons, even the highest-ranked teams have fallen victim to underdogs in the group stages. Some of the big names failed to live up to expectations and proved they aren’t invincible. Who got eliminated? And who has the greatest chance of winning next season? Do you also have a hunch that a team will falter this year? All that remains is to send the matches and cheer for our favorite. If you want safe betting, 4rabet is safe betting place where you can do it.
Over the years we have often been extremely disappointed with the results of some significant matches in this championship. Today we will share with you some of them that we consider being crucial in football history, and they refer to the period from 2000 to the present day.
1. Real Madrid vs Barcelona (2010)
Barcelona’s dominance of Spanish football may have ended at last Saturday night’s derby defeat to their eternal rivals Real Madrid in the 2010-11 season’s UEFA Champions League final in Rome. After winning the competition twice before and losing only four times in Europe’s premier club competition since its inception in 1955, Barca had already been declared champions after four rounds, having beaten Chelsea 4-0, Arsenal 2-0, Inter Milan 1-0 and Bayern Munich 5-1. But they were stunned 6-0 by Manchester United in the quarter-finals and then humbled 5-1 by Paris St Germain in the semi-final. And now even the dream of defending their crown was gone after a stunning 4-1 win for Madrid over their arch-rivals at Camp Nou, where Zinedine Zidane scored three goals in eight minutes either side of halftime to seal the victory.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona clash was one of the biggest upsets in UEFA champions league history. Barca had dominated La Liga winning their previous five seasons and was heavily favored to win again. But after losing 2-0 at home Real Madrid bounced back beating them 5-3 in the final game to claim the title.
2. Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid (2002)
Sergio Ramos’ winner ensured Real Madrid beat local rivals Atletico Madrid 7-3 on aggregate to advance to the 2002 Champions League final in Monaco. Los Blancos went ahead in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium with a goal from Roberto Carlos in the 13th minute and added further strikes from Raul Gonzalez (22), Fernando Morientes (36), and David Beckham (54). In the return match in Spain, Diego Simeone’s team pulled level in the 50th minute through substitute striker Hristo Stoichkov and equalized again five minutes later thanks to a header from defender Juan Pablo Sorin. However, Ronaldo put his team back in front with two goals in six minutes and Ramos completed the rout in the 81st minute.
3. Juventus vs AC Milan (2000)
AC Milan won the 2000 European Cup Winners’ Cup – Europe’s second-tier domestic cup – beating Juventus 3-1 on aggregate to reach the 2000 Champions League final in Valencia. Alessandro Del Pierro’s header gave Juve a 1-0 lead in Turin seven minutes into the game, but Antonio Conte leveled just before halftime with a penalty. Three minutes after the restart, Christian Vieri netted the opener, before Gianluigi Buffon prevented Milan from taking the lead in the second period. Del Piero restored Italy’s advantage late on, but Mario Balotelli struck home a consolation goal for the hosts.
4. Lyon vs Borussia Dortmund (2013/14)
Lyon became the first French team ever to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, defeating Bundesliga heavyweights Borussia Dortmund 3-1 on aggregate in the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League play-off round. Goals from Nabil Fekir and Alexandre Lacazette saw Les Gones off to Germany in the last 16, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sealed a famous victory for BVB in the return fixture in Dortmund. The German side took an early lead when Marco Reus opened the scoring, but Lyon responded immediately as Fekir headed home Maxwell Cornet’s cross. Dortmund hit back through Robert Lewandowski, who converted Thomas Tuchel’s free kick, but Lacazette fired in a low shot which deflected off Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller and into the net. Dortmund could not find a way past Hugo Lloris, who made several fine saves, and Aubameyang rounded things off with a close-range finish.
Many fans believe that the champions always win because they have greater resources, better players, or simply experience. In reality, many great performances have come from lesser-known teams who upset bigger names. Since their creation in 1992 until 2020, 48 teams have won the Champions League title – only two of them came from the same country and both teams had less than 100 points difference in their domestic standings.
The above are some of the biggest upsets that have happened in the history of the Champions League. It is more than clear that there has been no shortage of shocks over the years.
