Biggest Comebacks in Champions League History

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SI Soccer

·9. April 2025

Biggest Comebacks in Champions League History

The UEFA Champions League knockout stages have witnessed some of the most famous and unbelievable comebacks in world soccer annals.

With the best sides in European soccer competing for the most prestigious club trophy in the world, the weight and pressure of the Champions League is unparalleled. It's fitting that the biggest club competition in the sport owns some of the most dramatic and unimaginable come-from-behind wins in history.

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Here, we look back at some of the biggest and most iconic knockout phase comebacks in Champions League history, feats that will stand the test of time and endure to become some of the most remembered achievements in soccer. For many, stories of heartbreak, for others, memories of why they fell in love with the sport.

Biggest UEFA Champions League Comebacks: Four-Goal Deficit

La Remontada: 2016-17 Round of 16

First Leg: Paris Saint-Germain 4–0 Barcelona
Second Leg: Barcelona 6–1 Paris Saint-Germain

Barcelona became the first and only team in Champions League history to overcome a four-goal deficit in the second leg of the knockout stages.

Paris Saint-Germain dismantled the Catalans 4–0 in the first leg of the round of 16 in 2016-17, but Barcelona persisted and delivered one of the greatest comebacks in soccer history in the second leg.

Goals from Luis Suárez, Lionel Messi and a brilliant brace from Neymar Jr. put Barcelona within one of achieving the impossible. Then, deep into stoppage time, Sergi Roberto made the impossible possible, sealing the biggest comeback in Champions League history.

Prior to the second leg, Luis Enrique famously said "If they scored four, we can score six," and boy was he right.

Biggest UEFA Champions League Comebacks: Three-Goal Deficit

The Miracle of Anfield: 2018-19 Semifinals

First Leg: Barcelona 3–0 Liverpool
Second Leg: Liverpool 4–0 Barcelona

"Corner taken quickly... Origi!"

Liverpool raised their fifth Champions League trophy in 2018-19, but what's most remembered about their title winning campaign is their miraculous comeback vs. Barcelona in the semifinals.

After losing 0–3 in the first leg, the Reds returned to Anfield and delivered one of, if not the greatest performance of the Jürgen Klopp era. Without Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, Divock Origi opened the scoring before Georginio Wijnaldum scored a brace to level the tie.

What happened next is well documented. 10 minutes before the clock hit 90', Trent Alexander-Arnold caught Barcelona's defense napping, quickly taking a corner that Origi fired home to send Anfield into a frenzy and punch Liverpool's tickets to the final.

This remains Barcelona's last trip to the Champions League semifinals.

"The Greek God in Rome": 2016-17 Quarterfinals

First Leg: Barcelona 4–1 Roma
Second Leg: Roma 3–0 Barcelona

A season before the Miracle of Anfield, Barcelona experienced a similar type of heartbreak.

Roma overcame a 1–4 defeat at the Camp Nou to defeat Barcelona 3–0 in the home return leg to advance to the semifinals because of the away goals rule.

Edin Džeko and Danielle de Rossi put Roma within one, then, Greece international Kostas Manolas headed home a corner to bury the Catalans and advance to the semifinals.

In the famous words of broadcaster Peter Drury: "Roma have risen from their ruins. Manolas, the Greek God in Rome."