GOAL runs through the most dramatic instances of teams stealing victory on Europe's grandest stage after being stuck in survival mode
No competition on the planet delivers spectacle quite like the Champions League. With the best teams in Europe facing off, fans are often treated to a feast of world-class attacking play and goals aplenty. It's the competition that holds the most weight for the players, and as such, they tend to give that little bit extra in a bid to earn a place in the history books.
There are still occasions where defensive pragmatism is prioritised to gain an edge, but more often than not, the evenly-matched sides will thrash it out in thrilling end-to-end contests that could go either way. It's also common for an overwhelming favourite to blow away the underdogs with a merciless display of clinical finishing, particularly in the earlier stages of the tournament.
The rarest phenomenon we see in the Champions League is 'the heist'. These are the games when one team dominates proceedings from the first minute to the last, only to suffer defeat against an opponent that was barely able to get out of their own half.
In the most special cases, those stubborn, courageous, and – most importantly – lucky clubs have managed to grind out the most unlikely victories while recording just one shot on target. With that in mind, GOAL takes a look at the 10 greatest Champions League heists of all time below…
AFPAjax 0-1 AC Milan (2003-04)
AC Milan lifted their sixth European Cup in 2002-03, and many expected Carlo Ancelotti's all-conquering side to retain their crown. However, their defence began in shaky fashion as they picked up only seven points from their opening four group games, and had to beat Ajax away on matchday five in order to be certain of progress to the next round.
Ajax would go on to give the Rossoneri an almighty scare, despite having to field a makeshift XI due to an injury crisis. Ronald Koeman's side took the game to Milan right from the off and created several good openings, including a close-range header for Nigel de Jong that he agonisingly turned over the crossbar.
Milan waited patiently for their moment, though, and it eventually came six minutes into the second half, as Andriy Shevchenko volleyed home the winning goal from six yards out, sending the Rossoneri through. All of Ajax's huffing and puffing counted for nothing in the end, much to the frustration of John Heitinga. "We have only ourselves to blame – one move and they score," the Dutch centre-back told reporters after the final whistle.
AdvertisementAFPChelsea 1-1 Barcelona (2008-09)
Barcelona were deserving European champions in 2008-09, but few would deny they were given a major helping hand in the semi-finals by Danish referee Tom Henning Ovrebo. Chelsea were denied penalties by Ovrebo in the second leg at Stamford Bridge after taking an early lead through Michael Essien, which set the stage for a heart-breaking sucker-punch.
Barca finally mustered their first shot on target in the 93rd minute, and it was a corker, as Andres Iniesta's sublime first-time shot with the outside of his boot rocketed past helpless Chelsea goalkeeper Hilario, sparking delirium for Pep Guardiola's team, who advanced to the final on away goals.
Didier Drogba famously roared "It's a f*cking disgrace!" into the TV cameras at full-time and had to be restrained as tempers boiled over. But no one on the Barca bench cared. Christened 'El Iniestazo' by Culers across Catalunya, Barca's smash-and-grab victory at the Bridge was a testament to the wealth of genius-level talent in their squad, which ensured they were out of any game.
AFPMarseille 0-1 Spartak Moscow (2010-11)
On the opening night of the 2010-11 Champions League, Spartak Moscow pulled off a remarkable feat: winning a game without having a single shot on target. Marseille laid siege to the Spartak goal, raining down a total of 27 shots as the likes of Mathieu Valbuena and Andre Ayew flexed their impressive attacking muscles.
Goalkeeper Andriy Dykan was the hero for Spartak as he produced seven saves, while fortune also smiled on the visitors when Andre-Pierre Gignac struck the post in stoppage time. Incredibly, Spartak left Stade Velodrome with all three points courtesy of an 81st-minute own goal from Cesar Azpilicueta.
The ex-Chelsea captain was left with his head in his hands after deflecting a cross past Steve Mandanda as the French giants were made to pay the ultimate price for their profligacy. "It's the worst scenario. We played Russian roulette and we lost," crestfallen Marseille boss Didier Deschamps admitted to the media.
Getty Images SportInter 0-1 Trabzonspor (2011-12)
Inter regularly upset the odds on their way to Champions League glory in 2009-10, but were on the receiving end of a major shock when they faced Turkish outfit Trabzonspor in their group-stage opener two seasons later. It was a predictably one-sided affair, with Giampaolo Pazzini, Mauro Zarate and Wesley Sneijder all guilty of spurning several gilt-edged chances as Inter camped in enemy territory and put the ball into Trabzonspor's box at will.
It was something of a miracle that the visitors were still on level terms heading into the final 15 minutes, and they were then able to conjure up a sucker punch to stun the capacity San Siro crowd. Ondrej Celustka steered the ball into the net after Inter failed to clear a corner, with Trabzonspor subsequently able to survive a late onslaught to secure a memorable victory.
Inter were lambasted by the Italian media, but as Trabzonspor boss Senol Gunes shrewdly observed in his post-match press conference, "It's not enough just to have great players like (Esteban) Cambiasso, Pazzini and Sneijder, anything can happen on the pitch."