5 biggest deficits overturned in the Champions League Round of 16
Paris Saint-Germain will battle history as well as Real Madrid when they play their Champions League last-16 second-leg match on Tuesday at Parc des Princes.
While Basel, Porto and Besiktas can be discounted from coming back from huge deficits against vastly superior sides, PSG hold genuine hopes of ousting Los Blancos, despite the absence of Neymar due to injury.
However, Unai Emery’s side faces an uphill challenge. After losing 3-1 in Madrid, they know they will have to beat the two-time defending champions by at least two clear goals if they are to reach the quarter-finals.
It would be no small achievement, despite Real’s poor domestic form that is set to see them cede their title to Barcelona.
Indeed, only five teams in the history of the competition have recovered from more than a single goal behind to progress at this juncture of the competition.
Here are those remarkable comebacks:
#5 Chelsea v Napoli (2011-12)
En route to winning their first European crown, Chelsea became the first team in the re-branded competition’s history to recover from a two-goal first-leg deficit and progress into the quarter-finals.
It was the final days of the Andre Villas-Boas reign when they appeared on the verge of elimination after an ill-fated trip to Italy. Juan Mata had given the Blues the lead, but a couple of Ezequiel Lavezzi goals sandwiched an effort from Edinson Cavani to put the Italians in full command of the tie.
In the three weeks between the two matches, the Portuguese was jettisoned and replaced by Roberto Di Matteo, whose first major trick in charge of the Stamford Bridge outfit was to mastermind a comeback.
Goals from Didier Drogba and John Terry swung the momentum firmly in Chelsea’s favour, and though Gokhan Inler pulled one back, a penalty from Frank Lampard sent the match to extra-time. Branislav Ivanovic was the unlikely hero, scoring on the stroke of the turnaround to book a quarter-final berth.
Benfica and, memorably, Barcelona were seen off in the following rounds before Drogba inspired victory over Bayern Munich at their Allianz Arena home.
Di Matteo, meanwhile, may have earned the plaudits but lasted just eight months in the job before unsuccessful spells at Schalke and Aston Villa.
First Leg: Napoli 2-1 Chelsea
Second Leg: Chelsea 3-0 Napoli
Final Scoreline: Chelsea 4-2 Napoli