5 times the UEFA Champions League produced mouth-watering draws in the knockout rounds
The UEFA Champions League is one of the most exciting and eagerly anticipated club competitions every season.
Originally, it began exclusively for the winners of Europe's leagues to compete for silverware. However, over the years, runners-up, and in some cases, even the fourth or fifth-placed teams from eligible leagues have made it to the Champions League group stage.
The competition was initially known as the 'European Cup', but was rebranded in 1992 as the 'UEFA Champions League'. Real Madrid are the most successful team in Champions League history, with 13 titles to their name. That includes an incredible three-peat between 2016-18 under Zinedine Zidane, their former player and manager.
On this day in 2016, Real Madrid made Zinedine Zidane their manager:
▪️ 11 trophies in two spells
▪️ 157 wins in 234 games
▪️ 100% winning record in finals
▪️ Only manager to win a UCL three-peat
🥂 https://t.co/Q72VFmaQw6
Over the years, fans have been fortunate to witness games that were not just exciting, but they were also moments that changed the course of football history. Stars were born from incredible moments of magic; great teams were immortalised with memorable deep runs in the competition. The Champions League is a treasure trove of passion and competition.
Certain teams face each other more often than others, leading to old rivalries gaining more dimensions with every passing edition of the tournament. Some historic Champions League rivalries include Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich and Liverpool v AC Milan. In recent years, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea have been the stronger sides in the competition.
Draws play a big part in a club's progression in the tournament, as seen in many of the past editions. The Champions League has produced some fascinating matchups in the past.
On that note, let's take a trip down memory lane and revisit five mouth-watering knockout draws in Champions League history:
Note: The list is at random and not in any particular order of ranking. It is, however, arranged from oldest to newest.
#5 2003-04 UEFA Champions League knockout phase (Winners: Porto)
The 2003-04 Champions League knockout phase was special for multiple reasons. It was the first time since the tournament's rebranding in 1992 that it underwent format changes.
UEFA had announced that from 2003 onwards, there would be a Round of 16 after the initial group stage with eight groups. The Round of 16 replaced the second group stage, which was earlier in place.
The draw coughed up several exciting ties in the Champions League Round of 16 that year. Bayern Munich faced Real Madrid; an up and coming FC Porto team were pitted against giants Manchester United, while defending champions AC Milan were up against Sparta Prague.
Porto stunned United 3-2 over two legs, in what was one of the most incredible nights in the Portuguese club's history. Costinha's last-minute equaliser in the second leg eliminated United, sending Porto manager Jose Mourinho sprinting down the Old Trafford touchline.
FC Porto are back in #UCL action tomorrow v Juventus.
Rewind back to March 2004, Porto v Manchester United.
Costinha’s 90th minute equaliser at Old Trafford sent Porto through to the quarter-finals and sent José Mourinho sprinting down the touchline!
https://t.co/zNExov5TyL
Porto's fellow finalists AS Monaco had a decent run as well. They overcame Real Madrid on away goals after a 5-5 aggregate tie over two legs in the quarter-finals. In the next round, Monaco saw off Chelsea 5-3 on aggregate to reach the final.
Porto won the title in incredible fashion with a 3-0 victory over Monaco. They won the club their first Champions League trophy (formerly known as the European Cup) since 1987.
Here is how the draw for the 2003-04 knockout phase looked like.
It was surely one of the most exciting and unexpected outcomes following a wonderful season of Champions League football.
#4 2004-05 UEFA Champions League knockout phase (Winners: Liverpool)
The 2004-05 knockout phase saw some of Europe's juggernauts face off against each other. That year probably had the strongest set of 16 teams in a knockout phase the tournament has ever seen. The likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Juventus, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and AC Milan all made it out of their groups with relative ease.
The Round of 16 saw Manchester United go up against AC Milan, with the Rossoneri winning the tie. Barcelona faced Chelsea in what was an incredible two-legged matchup featuring a high-scoring 4-2 win for Chelsea at the Camp Nou in the second leg.
Ronaldinho scored a stunning goal, shimmying outside the box before striking the ball into the far corner with a minimal backlift. However, that wasn't enough to save Barcelona's blushes as Chelsea made it 4-2 late on to advance to the next round.
📆 #OnThisDay in 2005: Ronaldinho scored THAT goal against Chelsea in the Champions League.
Will never ever get old. A genius at work. 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷
📹 - @ChampionsLeague
https://t.co/8Iq5PF7CUc
The quarter-finals saw AC Milan trounce their city-rivals Inter Milan 5-0 on aggregate. Chelsea and Bayern Munich played out an exciting two-legged tie, with the Blues prevailing 6-5 on aggregate. Liverpool faced Juventus and qualified without too much hassle, thanks to a 2-1 home win against the Old Lady.
The final, called the Miracle of Istanbul, could be turned into a movie of its own. Then four-time winners Liverpool faced then six-time winners AC Milan for Europe's biggest prize. Milan led 3-0 at half-time, but saw the Reds incredibly draw level at 3-3 in the second half before winning on penalties.
Here is how the draw for the 2004-05 knockout phase looked like.
It was one of the most incredible nights in Liverpool's rich history, taking their European tally to five.