Bayern Munich has to make up a gap of three goals in the second leg of the Champions League against Manchester City on Wednesday (9 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Champions League and on DAZN). Impossible? Are you kidding me? Are you serious when you say that! Three clubs have achieved such a football miracle in the history of the premier league, another even caught up four goals.
2018/19 semifinals: Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona (first leg 0-3)
In the first few seconds, Jürgen Klopp sees “a couple of wolves who haven’t had anything to eat for eight weeks” in the Liverpool jerseys. His Reds literally “tear apart” Lionel Messi and Co. The coronation: Trent Alexander-Arnold’s corner trick, which the former Wolfsburg Divock Origi used to make it 4-0. “It blows your mind,” Klopp enthuses about the “magical” night, “I hope I can still remember it in 50 years.”
Quarter-finals 2017/18: AS Roma 3-0 FC Barcelona (1-4)
The history of the Liverpool miracle is a season earlier. In Rome, too, the Barca magic feet Messi and Andres Iniesta are crushed by the sheer will of their opponent after an apparently clear first-leg victory. “We won against the best team in the world,” says Kostas Manolas, scorer of the acclaimed 3-0, which is enough to get through because the away goals rule was still important in the European Cup at the time: “We always believed in it.” Club legend Francesco Totti breaks it Cabin party, Italy’s Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, a self-confessed Juventus fan, tweeted: “One night at least: Forza Roma!”
Round of 16 2016/17: FC Barcelona – Paris St. Germain 6: 1 (0: 4)
But “Barca” can also do miracles itself – and what kind! The Catalans lost the first leg at Paris Saint-Germain 4-0. And nobody else caught up to four goals in the Champions League. Three minutes before the final whistle of the second leg it was still 3-1 – then superstar Neymar scored twice and set up the decisive goal for Sergi Roberto (90+5). If the final score was 5-1, Paris would have progressed because of the away goals rule that was still in force at the time. PSG then sent UEFA a five-page letter of complaint with eight (!) alleged mistakes by referee Deniz Aytekin – and bought Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in the summer for a total of over 400 million euros.
Viertelfinale 2003/04: Deportivo La Coruña – AC Mailand 4:0 (1:4)
The mother of all Champions League comebacks. Deportivo La Coruña led 3-0 in the second leg at half-time. Substitute Fran González scored the acclaimed goal to make it 4-0. “This victory proves that miracles happen,” says Depor coach Javier Irureta, his colleague Carlo Ancelotti is stunned: “It’s inexplicable to me.” After all, Milan was the defending champion, the team was peppered with world stars like Paolo Maldini, Cafu, Andrea Pirlo or Andrei Shevchenko. “The fall of the gods” is the headline in the Gazzetta dello Sport. And Irureta spontaneously promises that he will make a pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint James in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela – on his knees.
“We’re going full steam ahead, we still have a chance,” announced captain Thomas Müller, despite the extremely difficult starting position. After all, the Munich team has often made up for away defeats in knockout rounds in their own stadium, most recently in 2015 against FC Porto. A 1:3 in Portugal was followed by a rushing 6:1 in front of their home crowd.
However, there has never been a Munich comeback after a three-goal deficit. Bayern were twice behind by three or more goals, and both times the hoped-for miracle didn’t materialize in the second leg. A 3-0 loss at FC Barcelona in the semi-finals of the 2014/15 season was followed by a 3-2 draw in the second leg. In the 2008/09 quarter-finals, they also only managed a disappointing 1-1 draw against Barca after a 4-0 loss in the first leg. “Maybe something magical is possible,” said Müller with a view to the task against Man City.
