What happened next? The 13 ‘perfect’ teams in Champions League group-stage history | OneFootball

Liverpool could become the first team to go unbeaten in an eight-game league phase in the Champions League with a win over PSV on Wednesday night.

There are only 13 instances of teams going perfect in the Champions League group stage, with just two English sides having ever completed the feat. Out of those 13 teams, only two have gone on to take home the trophy that season.

In 2021-22, Liverpool became the first ever English club to do so, while Manchester City earned their membership card in last season’s competition.

As expected, the Reds top this season’s table, carrying over their dominant domestic form to Europe’s most prestigious contest. They have racked up 21 points, scored 15 goals and conceded just twice in their seven games.

Liverpool’s defensive record has been the story of their success. They have kept five clean sheets in seven games so far, their last coming at Girona, which saw Allison equal Pepe Reina for the most Champions League clean sheets in Liverpool’s history (21).

As Arne Slot seeks an unprecedented Quadruple in his first season on Merseyside, there’s every chance he adds another record to his collection if he makes it eight wins from eight on Wednesday night.

But how did those other teams that enjoyed flawless runs in the group stage go on to fare in the knockout phase?

1. AC Milan (1992-93)

AC Milan capped off a domestic double in 1993 with a trip to Munich to face Marseille in the Champions League final. Spearheaded by the likes of Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Paolo Maldini, the Rossoneri made it back-to-back Serie A titles but fell short on Europe’s biggest stage.

AC Milan dominated their group, made up of IFK Goteborg, Porto and PSV. Fabio Capello’s side scored 11 goals and conceded just one, before advancing to the knockout stages and sweeping aside Slovan Bratislava and Olimpija Ljubljana.

However, Marseille secured the spoils in a final that ended 1-0, handing them their first European title in the inaugural season of the Champions League.

2. Paris Saint-Germain (1994-95)

To this day, PSG haven’t brought a Champions League title back to the Parc des Princes. The 1994-95 season was their second appearance in Europe’s most elite competition.

After dominating a group including Bayern Munich, Spartak Moscow and Dynamo Kyiv, PSG’s campaign was ended prematurely in the semi-finals. Even the likes of David Ginola and George Weah could not stop a whitewash across both legs, as AC Milan kept a clean sheet in the tie, winning 3-0. But the Italian champions at the time went on to lose 1-0 in the final to Ajax.

3. Spartak Moscow (1995-96)

To risk downplaying a historic achievement, it must be said that Spartak had perhaps the easiest run to go perfect in their group out of these 13 sides.

Their cohort of competition was made up of three Champions League debutants — Legia Warsaw, Rosenborg and Blackburn Rovers. After making the quarter-finals, which was the first round of the knockout phase at the time, Spartak bowed out of Europe, losing 4-2 to Nantes on aggregate.

4. Barcelona (2002-03)

In the era of Italian football domination, Barcelona’s quest for a second European title was stopped short when they faced Serie A champions, Juventus, in the quarter-finals.

Between 1999-00 and 2002-03, Uefa split the group stage into two phases. The top two in each group qualified into a second group phase, four groups of four. Then, the top two of those “supergroups”, if you like, made it to the knockout stage.

Barcelona went six for six in their first group, made up of Lokomotiv Moscow, Club Brugge and Galatasaray. In their second group, they were almost as dominant, winning five and drawing one game – that included Inter Milan, Newcastle United and Bayer Leverkusen.

After a plethora of games, fatigue certainly played its part in the Catalan giants getting knocked out in the quarter-finals. They drew 1-1 with Juventus in the first leg, but were defeated 2-1 at Camp Nou after a 114th-minute extra-time winner from the visitors.

5. Real Madrid (2011-12)

Jose Mourinho’s side came heart-breakingly close to La Decima in three straight years. However, the 2011-12 campaign was arguably Real Madrid’s most agonising shortfall.

They won La Liga after notching 100 points and lost just five games in all competitions that season. Los Blancos made light work of Group D in the Champions League — made up of Lyon, Ajax and Dinamo Zagreb — scoring a whopping 19 goals and allowing just two.

They swept aside CSKA Moscow and APOEL in the knockout stage, before meeting Bayern Munich in the semi-final. The affair was dead even across two legs, both ending 3-1, meaning it had to be settled with spot kicks.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Sergio Ramos all missed for Real Madrid in a mistake-ridden shootout, before Bastian Schweinsteiger capped off a 3-1 win on penalties for Bayern.

6. Real Madrid (2014-15)

Coming off their 10th Champions League title in 2013-14, the pressure was different for Real Madrid in 2015. Sure, the bragging rights against Barcelona mattered, Lionel Messi and Ronaldo’s rivalry mattered, but the critics were not overbearing.

Madrid lost La Liga by two points, were knocked out in the Copa Del Rey round of 16 and could not make it past the Champions League semi-final in 2014-15. It was somewhat of a sophomore slump after finally achieving La Decima.

Nevertheless, they were flawless in their group, which included Basel, Liverpool and Ludogrets. Wins over Schalke and Atletico Madrid in the knockout phase saw them advance to the semi-final to face Juventus.

But the Italian champions beat them 3-2 on aggregate, denying fans of an historic showdown between Real Madrid and Barcelona in the final.

7. Bayern Munich (2019-20)

Lockdown football might not have been everyone’s favourite time, but it’s unlikely that Bayern Munich fans were complaining. Their team pulled off the treble in 2019-20 and dominated in Europe.

They became the first team to go perfect in the Champions League group stage and eventually win the competition. Bayern’s 24 goals in Group B was the second-most ever at the time, behind only PSG’s 25 in 2017-18. Now, Barcelona have snatched that record away, having scored 26 in this year’s extended group phase.

Bayern made no mistakes in their group, which included Tottenham Hotspur, Olympiacos and Red Star Belgrade. They cleared Chelsea, Barcelona and Lyon in the knockout stages, before beating PSG 1-0 in the final.

8. Ajax (2021-22)

Perhaps there was something in the water in Amsterdam between September and December 2021? Erik ten Hag’s side would certainly not have been at the top of a list of teams expected to win all of their group games in the 2021-22 season.

And they hardly had an easy run; their group included Sporting CP, Borussia Dortmund and Besiktas. The Dutch giants scored 20 and conceded five goals in the group phase, but were brought back down to earth in the last 16. Ajax were beaten 3-2 on aggregate by Benfica in Ten Hag’s last season at Ajax.

9. Liverpool (2021-22)

Liverpool were on course to win an unparalleled quadruple in 2021-22, but were denied by the results of two games.

Having won the FA Cup and EFL Cup, they missed out on Premier League glory to Man City on the last day of the season. A week later, it was more heartbreak for Jurgen Klopp’s side, as they fell short to Real Madrid in the Champions League final, losing 1-0.

They bossed their “group of death”, which had Atletico Madrid, Porto and AC Milan. They then comfortably made it past Inter Milan, Benfica and Villarreal in the knockout stages.

But in 2022’s final, it was Real Madrid who landed their 14th Champions League title as opposed to Liverpool notching their seventh.

10. Bayern Munich (2021-22)

Joining Liverpool and Ajax in going undefeated in the 2021-22 Champions League group stage was Bayern Munich.

Robert Lewandowski was coming off two Ballon D’or-worthy seasons and hopes of a second European title in as many years were high in Munich. The Polish international netted 13 goals in the campaign, despite Bayern exiting in the quarter-finals — only Karim Benzema (15) managed more.

Under Julian Nagelsmann’s watch, Bayern made easy work of their stacked group – which included Benfica, Barcelona and Dynamo Kyiv – and went on to sweep Red Bull Salzburg aside in the last 16, winning 8-2 on aggregate.

However, a shock 2-1 defeat in their quarter-final tie with Villarreal brought an end to Bayern’s Champions League run.

11. Bayern Munich (2022-23)

The 2022-23 Champions League campaign was harsh on the Bayern Munich. The German champions were stopped early in their tracks by eventual winners Man City in the quarter-final.

Pep Guardiola’s side completed a historic Treble that season, so one would be harsh to turn their nose up at Bayern losing to the best team in the world at the time.

In their group, Bayern once again faced formidable competition, going up against Barcelona for the second straight season, Inter Milan and Viktoria Plzen. They still managed to score 18 goals and concede just two as they won Group C by as early as matchday four.

After cruising past PSG to win 3-0 on aggregate in the last 16, Bayern fell 4-1 to the hands of Man City in the next round.

12. Real Madrid (2023-24)

Losing just two games all season, Real Madrid capped off the 2023-24 campaign by winning the double — their record-extending 36th La Liga and 15th Champions League titles.

These two trophies marked Carlo Ancelotti’s 11th and 12th at the helm of Los Blancos, overtaking Zinedine Zidane’s tally to make the Italian the second most successful manager in the club’s history.

Despite some topsy-turvy games, which saw Rea; Madrid score 16 and concede seven in the group stage, Ancelotti’s side won all six against Napoli, Braga and Union Berlin.

They beat RB Leipzig, Man City and Bayern Munich en route to the final at Wembley, where they triumphed over Borussia Dortmund to win 2-0.

13. Man City (2023-24)

There’s certainly been a trend over the years. It seems that going flawless in the group stage was an unprecedented feat until the 2020s. Man City were the sixth team in three years to do so, while only seven sides managed this accomplishment in the 28 years prior.

Their domestic antics saw them win a record fourth Premier League title and, while this success translated to the Champions League group phase, they lost a nail-biting penalty shootout to Rae; Madrid in the quarter-final.

Their favourable draw of RB Leipzig, Young Boys and Red Star Belgrade in Group G all but confirmed a spot in the round of 16 for the defending champions.

But Real Madrid exacted revenge on Man City after Guardiola’s side eliminated them in 2023, and denied them a chance to become the 10th side to win back-to-back Champions League titles.