The UEFA Champions League has been a competition that has become one of, if not, the biggest club competitions in the world. Every year 32 teams enter Europe’s elite tournament with some hoping they can fulfill their dream and win the fantastic trophy. There have been some superb games in the Champions League since UEFA decided to rebrand the competition back in 1992, which made the competition a lot more popular as the years have gone by.

It used to be the champions of each league who would enter the competition before this changed to the top four teams from Europe’s top five leagues as well as one or two teams from the Netherlands, Portugal, Scotland and more. Since the competition’s revamp, there have been some superb games, whether it’s Liverpool’s comeback in Istanbul, or the 1999 Champions League final which featured a dramatic turnaround by Manchester United.

Ranking factors

• Context of the game (whether it was a final or semi-final)
• Score-line
• Teams involved
• High-profile incidents (penalties, red cards etc)

13

Paris Saint Germain 1-3 Manchester United, 2018/19

Coming in at number 13 on our list is the extraordinary knockout stage clash between Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain during March 2019. After Jose Mourinho was sacked by the Red Devils in December, former United icon, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, took over the managerial reign at Old Trafford and it was this game that won him the job.

After the Parisian side won the first leg 2-0 at Old Trafford and Paul Pogba was sent off, things looked to be going from bad to worse for the Red Devils. The Red Devils somehow managed to turn it around with two goals from Romelu Lukaku before Juan Bernat halved the deficit. United looked to be going out of the competition before Diogo Dalot’s shot, which was blocked by the hand of Presnel Kimpembe, won the Red Devils a penalty.

Marcus Rashford stepped up and smashed the ball into the roof of the net past Gianluigi Buffon, sending United through on away goals. It was a dramatic end to what was a superb game at the Parc des Princes. United went through before losing to Barcelona in the quarter-final, but it was a remarkable performance in Paris by a relatively inexperienced United team.

12

Paris Saint-Germain 5-4 Bayern Munich, 2025/26

Two of Europe’s biggest sides put on a show at the Parc des Princes when they contested the first leg of their Champions League semi-final clash.

Harry Kane gave his side a 17th minute lead when he converted from the penalty spot and the floodgates opened from then. There were four more goals in the first half as PSG took a 3-2 lead going into the break.

The home side took a three-goal lead after an hour when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele both bagged their second of the match. But Bayern fought back and goals from Dayot Upamecano and Luis Diaz ensured the game ended in a 5-4 victory for the Ligue 1 giants.

There were just 23 shots in the match, with 13 on target. Nine of those resulted in goals. While it was a thrilling match with attacking quality in abundance, what prevents it from being ranked higher was that it was only the first leg.

11

Man City 4-3 Tottenham Hotspur, 2018/2019

Next on our list is yet another game from the 2018/2019 campaign with Manchester City playing Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium. The North London club had recorded a 1-0 victory in the first leg, but things didn’t start well for Spurs in the second leg, with Raheem Sterling firing in a goal after just two minutes.

Spurs could have collapsed but instead rallied and retook the lead with Heung-min Son scoring twice to give the London club the lead again and with a vital away goal. Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero had swung the game back in City’s favour. Fernando Llorente scored a controversial goal from a corner which, after a lengthy VAR check, was awarded.

City looked to be heading out of the competition but Sterling struck late on much to Pep Guardiola’s delight. However, the goal was ruled out after Sergio Aguero was offside in the build up, which left the City fans devastated. The game ended and Spurs were victorious and thus brought to an end one of the best games in Champions League history. Spurs would eventually reach the final before losing to Liverpool, but it was nevertheless a dramatic game.

10

Barcelona 2-8 Bayern Munich – 2019/20

In tenth place on our list was Bayern Munich’s dominant 8-2 victory over Ernesto Valverde’s Barcelona. After the world was paused in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, football was temporarily put on hold before UEFA decided to host the competition in one stadium to lower the risk of infection spreading.

It was a strange end to the tournament with these games being played behind closed doors. One of these games was Hansi Flick’s Bayern Munich vs Barcelona. It was an extraordinary game with goals flying in all over the place. The Spanish side had taken the lead before the German side raced into a 4-1 lead thanks to goals from Thomas Muller, Serge Gnabry and Ivan Perisic.

Luis Suarez made it 4-2 before four more goals from Bayern, including two from former Blaugrana midfielder Philippe Coutinho, made it a rout. It was 8-2 to Bayern Munich and the German side would go on to win the tournament after beating Thomas Tuchel’s PSG in the final.

9

Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Malaga – 2012/2013

In ninth place on our list is Borussia Dortmund’s incredibly dramatic 3-2 victory over Spanish side Malaga in the quarter-final. Jurgen Klopp’s side were hoping to make it to the final of the competition but had to get past a Malaga side which featured Isco, Eliseu, Willy Caballero and former Manchester City defender Martin Demichelis.

Joaquin had given the Spanish side the lead in the second leg, after the first leg finished 0-0. Robert Lewandowski fired in an equaliser before substitute Eliseu scored what looked to be a late winner for the Spanish side with a place in the semi-final just moments away. However, in extraordinary circumstances, Klopp’s side scored two late goals thanks to Felipe Santana and Marco Reus, which sent the Signal Iduna Park into raptures. The German side would eventually reach the final before losing to arch-rivals Bayern Munich at Wembley Stadium thanks to a late goal from Arjen Robben.

8

Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona – 2018/2019

Next on our list is yet another game which came from the 2018/19 Champions League campaign. Barcelona had beaten Klopp’s Liverpool 3-0 in the semi-final of the Champions League and looked set to book their place in the final with just the second leg at Anfield left to be played. What occurred during the 90 minutes at Anfield will go down in history as one of the most dramatic games in history.

Divock Origi had given Liverpool an early lead and from then on, it looked as if the home crowd were behind the team and that, crucially, Barcelona were crumbling. It took until the second half for Liverpool to gain control, as two goals from Georginio Wijnaldum had wiped out Barcelona’s lead, with the Dutch midfielder netting twice in the second half.

Origi would then fire in again after right-back Trent Alexander Arnold fired in a quick corner which caught the Barcelona defence off guard. The Belgian found the back of the net and won Liverpool the game in dramatic circumstances. It was an emotional end to the game, with the Liverpool players and coaching staff joining arms to sing You’ll Never Walk Alone. Liverpool would go on to win the Champions League after they beat Tottenham 2-0 in the final.

7

Barcelona 6-1 Paris Saint Germain – 2016/17

Comebacks in the Champions League have become a feature of the European competition and this was no different when Barcelona took on PSG in the knockout stages of the competition back in 2017. Unai Emery’s French side beat Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg and, similar to when Barcelona were three goals up against Liverpool in 2019, were surely confident of advancing through to the next round of the competition.

Luis Suarez, a Layvin Kurzawa own goal and Lionel Messi’s penalty made it 3-0 to the Spanish side. Edinson Cavani struck an away goal for the French side, and it looked to be over. However, vital late goals from Neymar brought the game level at 5-5 before Sergi Roberto slid in to net the winner for the Spanish side in stoppage time. Barcelona did not end up winning the competition as they suffered defeat to Juventus, with Argentine forward Paulo Dybala shining against the Spanish giants. This game, however, will go down as being one of the best games in the recent history of the competition.

6

Deportivo La Coruna 4-0 AC Milan – 2003/04

After a strong AC Milan side had won the first leg at the San Siro 4-1 against Spanish giants Deportivo La Coruna, the game, as a contest looked to be over. However, the second leg, similar to other games on this list, would prove to be an incredibly dramatic occasion.

Walter Pandiani fired the first after five minutes, before Juan Carlos Valeron headed a second and Albert Luque put Deportivo ahead on aggregate. Substitute Gonzalez Fran added a fourth to finish Milan’s challenge as they joined Real Madrid and Arsenal in suffering shock defeats during that round of the competition.

The victory saw Deportivo advance to the semi-final of the competition but they did not go on to win the tournament. That honour went to Jose Mourinho’s FC Porto, who won the final against French giants AS Monaco. Nevertheless, this was a game to remember and had to be high on our list.

5

Chelsea 4-4 Liverpool, 2008/09

Starting our top five is Chelsea’s dramatic 4-4 draw against Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. After Chelsea had won the first leg 3-1 at Anfield, things were looking bleak for the Reds, but Fabio Aurelio and a Xabi Alonso penalty meant the game was level on aggregate, but the West London club were leading on aggregate due to the away goal rule.

Chelsea fought back thanks to three goals in the second half from Didier Drogba, Alex and Frank Lampard. Liverpool were surely down and out but did fight back thanks to a deflected goal from Lucas Leiva and a Dirk Kuyt header meant it would be a nervy final few minutes at Stamford Bridge. Lampard scored again to make the game safe and set up a meeting with FC Barcelona in the semi-final.

Chelsea did not go on and win the competition with Guardiola’s Barcelona knocking the Blues out thanks to a stunning late goal from Andres Iniesta. Nevertheless, this was a game for the ages and will be remembered as a Champions League classic for years to come and it had to be included on our list.

4

Ajax 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur, 2018/2019

The fourth and final game that will be included on our list from the 2018/19 season is the dramatic semi-final between Erik ten Hag’s Ajax and Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur. Donny Van De Beek’s goal had won Ajax the first leg at the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium and this second leg looked to be heading in a similar direction.

Matthijs de Ligt and Hakim Ziyech had given Ajax a two-goal lead on the night but, because of the away goal rule, Spurs needed just to win the game on the night and would have secured qualification to the next round. The North London side looked to be out of the contest, however, with the Dutch side creating chance after chance to make the game safe, but they failed to capitalise on those chances that they created.

Lucas Moura scored a brilliant goal early in the second half before he scored another soon after following an error from goalkeeper Andre Onana. The Brazilian’s introduction into the game changed the complexity of the second half and the former PSG winger scored a dramatic late winner which saw the North London club advance into the final. Spurs didn’t win the final but it was a memorable game, nonetheless.