As it’s a day for resurrections, we want to know which Champions League final comeback was better from these 3.
Manchester 2 – 1 Bayern Munich (1999)
At the Camp Nou it looked like a 6 minute goal from Mario Basler was going to be enough to hand Bayern Muncih the crown. Bayern were sitting deep playing a sweeper, with in force that was Oliver Kahn captaining the side in goal. Surely that was it for Man utd’s treble dreams.
And then we all learned what a super sub was. The 4th official announced 3 minutes of added time just as Beckham was swinging in a corner, and the ball found it’s way to Sheringham who equalized. With many fans likely expecting extratime, United won another corner. This time Sheringham lent a helping hand and Solskjaer poked it home. United had done the incredibly unlikely and sealed the treble.
Here’s what Steve O’Rourke had to say:
For every great comeback there is a winner and a bottler. It’s difficult to compare bottle jobs across different games because the circumstances are so different in most. But while Instanbul 2005 is famous for Milan celebrating in the dressing room at half time, Barcelona 99 is something altogether different. On one hand, you had a Bayern team who just couldn’t put the game away, on the other a Man United side who seemed overawed by the occasion, utterly defeated by the weight of history. But what makes the United comeback the best of the European Cup finals ones is that they did it on 2 minutes of brilliance. And the thing is, nobody could deny they were the best team in the world at that moment. A last minute winner is a much better way of remembering that team than some dull 2-0 procession.
AC Milan 3 – 3 Liverpool [AET] 2005
Liverpool win 2 – 3 on Penalties
How in the bloody hell did Liverpool win this game? That AC Milan side was full of quality; Pirlo, Cafu, Dida, Maldini, Kaka, Cespo, Seedorf, you could nearly name the whole team.
Maldini but Milan ahead in the first minute, and Crespo added two coming up to half time. That was that.
But then in a magical spell of 6 minutes, Gerrard, Smicer, and Alonso had the game level. Penalties would be the result with Jerzy Dudek dancing on the goalline. Liverpool had somehow won the game 2 – 3 on penalties.
Rodg’s words:
For one night only Djimi Traore proved he was better than Paolo Maldini
Bayern Munich 1 – 1 Chelsea [AET] (2012)
Chelsea win 3 – 4 on Penalties
A year before winning a final they were 2nd best win, Bayern would suffer defeat in a final they were the better team in. A late goal from Muller looked like it had done the job, but Drogba popped up and somehow Chelsea were going to extra time.
The scoreline should really read Bayern 1 – 1 Drogba. Having been sent off in 2008, the Ivorian dragged Chelsea back into the game and scored the winning penalty.
Real Madrid 4 – 1 Atletico Madrid [AET] (2014)
Heartbreak for the neutral. It was a romantic season for Atletico, ending the duopoly of Barca and Real in La Liga. And they had given themselves the chance to win the big one. Star striker Costa went off injured early, but that wouldn’t be the only bad look they would have.
Going into injury time, Godin’s header looked like it had won it. But in the 93rd minuted Ramos turned the ball home. From there on out it was one sided, with extra time goals from Bale, Marcelo, and a Ronaldo penalty. Depressing for the romantics among us, it would be the start of Real Madrid winning 4 European Cups in 5 seasons.
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