The Champions League might be composed of the greatest teams in Europe, but that doesn’t mean the competition doesn’t produce underdog stories. With the Champions League format consisting of two legs and the away goal rule, football fans and sports bettors have witnessed some of the craziest games and comebacks in football history.
Champions League Is Anything But Predictable
Everyone watches the Champions League, regardless of whether their team is out in the round of 16 or the quarterfinals. It’s one of the most celebrated competitions in the world. When it comes to the final, the football community brings out all the stops, and fans and experts alike will be considering the Champions League final odds to get an idea of who will win. This year, we will be deciding between putting your money on Chelsea or Manchester City. It doesn’t have to be a win/lose situation either, and it’s possible to opt for a draw between the two English teams with odds of +230 this happening.
One of the reasons why we love sport is because we find their stories irresistible, and the Champions League is the epitome of this idea. For the most part, the competition’s irresistibility doesn’t mean uncertainty. That said, there have been games in the past that even punters couldn’t have predicted. The most memorable example is Barcelona vs. Paris St. Germain (PSG) in 2017.
FC Barcelona 6–1 Paris Saint-Germain F.C.
Known in Spain as “La Remontada” or “The Comeback,” Barcelona and Paris St. Germain met each other iN 2017. Unfortunately for Barcelona, they got off to a rocky start while playing at Parc des Princes in the first leg. PSG won the game 4-0, and everyone was sure that was the end of Barcelona’s journey.
FC Barcelona 6-1 Paris Saint-Germain ⚽️
The greatest comeback ever?
Which last 16 game will create more amazing memories this season? pic.twitter.com/WCdXrLeR8x
— Football Santander (@FTBSantander) December 22, 2018
Within the first five minutes of the second leg at Camp Nou, Luis Suarez showed PSG that Barcelona had no plans to make their move into the next round of the competition an easy one. By the 50th minute, Barcelona was leading 3-0, making it 4-3 on aggregate. Was a comeback on the horizon? It looked that way until Edinson Cavani scored for PSG in the 62nd minute. This goal meant that Barcelona had to score three more goals to progress due to the away goals rule — and they were running out of time.
What happened next is a reminder of why the Champions League is so beloved. In the final 15 minutes of the game, Barcelona scored three goals. They won 6-5 on aggregate, advancing to the quarterfinals. The media described it as a miracle.
Of course, comebacks are not restricted to the Champions League. In the NFL, for instance, many consider the New England Patriot’s comeback in Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons to be one of the greatest games to be played.
In terms of the Champions League, there’s no doubt that sports bettors and fans will continue to be thrown for a loop. However, if one thing is guaranteed, it’s that there will never be a day where a football fan mentions the word comeback, and “La Remontada” doesn’t come up in the conversation.
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