Greatest UEFA Champions League comebacks

Wednesday 8 May 2019

See how some fine sides defied overwhelming odds to win ties in Europe's top club competition.

Liverpool overturned a huge deficit against Barcelona in 2019 ©UEFA.com

A 3-0 deficit from the first leg of a UEFA Champions League knockout tie should by all rights mean 'game over', but there have been a few teams who have turned lost causes into unforgettable wins in Europe's top club competition.

Look back at these phenomenal comebacks and wonder whether – at 3-0 down from the home leg of their tie against Bayern this season – Chelsea really have no chance in the return match in Munich.

Four-goal deficit

Paris Saint-Germain 4-0 Barcelona
Barcelona 6-1 Paris Saint-Germain
2016/17 round of 16

Watch Barcelona's historic comeback

In 2016/17, Barcelona became the first team to fight back from four goals down to win a UEFA Champions League tie only the fourth time it's been done in any UEFA club competition tie.

If Paris's demolition of Luis Enrique's men in France had been a shock, the Barça recovery was simply astonishing, Sergi Roberto striking in added time to decide the tie. "I told him: 'Get into the box! You're going to score!'" Neymar recalled. Sergi Roberto added: "I didn't know if I was dreaming I have never known a noise like that."

Three-goal deficits

Barcelona 3-0 Liverpool
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
2018/19 semi-finals

The Anfield crowd have seen some great European nights, but few can rival this sensational performance. Barcelona had one foot in the final after Lionel Messi's first-leg double – his second effort a fine free-kick to bring up his 600th Barça goal. He was about to be upstaged.

The Reds fielded a depleted line-up in the return, with Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino missing, but Divock Origi's early strike gave them hope. The Belgian later rounded off a pulsating triumph after a Georginio Wijnaldum brace. "The belief in the changing room is incredible," said captain Jordan Henderson. "We knew we could pull something off."

Barcelona 4-1 Roma
Roma 3-0 Barcelona
2017/18 quarter-finals

Highlights: Roma 3-0 Barcelona

Edin Džeko struggled to communicate the magnitude of Roma's feat after his sixth-minute finish sparked an extraordinary revival of fortunes, saying: "You cannot imagine, I mean it was incredible, crazy I don't know how to describe it. We did it when definitely nobody believed in us."

Certainly, there looked to be no way back after a 4-1 loss at Camp Nou, but Džeko's goal and a Daniele De Rossi penalty set the scene for Kostas Manolas's 82nd-minute headed winner.

AC Milan 4-1 Deportivo La Coruña
Deportivo La Coruña 4-0 AC Milan
2003/04 quarter-finals

Highlights: Deportivo come back from the dead

"Miracles often happen, things you might not rationally expect," said Depor coach Javier Irureta, holding on to faint hope ahead of the return leg, the Spanish team having been well beaten despite scoring first at San Siro.

Remarkably, though, his troops led on aggregate by half-time in the return, Walter Pandiani, Juan Carlos Valerón and Alberto Luque making it 3-0 – before substitute Fran González added a fourth. Having prayed for success, Irureta later honoured a promise by taking the pilgrim trail to Santiago de Compostela.