After the end of the Champions League group stage, the 16 strongest teams of the season will enter the knockout stage matches only in the summer of the next year, which means that we will not see Champions League matches for the next two months.
During this break, we suggest remembering the top 25 Champions League matches of all time, ranked by the fourfourtwo website. Today we present the second part of the five-part article.
20th place - "Barcelona" 0 : 4 "Dynamo Kiev" 1997/1998 season group stage match
The first match of these clubs in Kiev ended with a stunning victory for the hosts 3:0, so with stars like Rivaldo and Luis Figo in their ranks, the Catalans at home were hoping for a convincing revenge. However, the viewers gathered at the "Camp Nou" stadium witnessed not their favorites, but the show of Andrei Shevchenko.
The Ukrainian scored a "hat-trick", added one goal by Sergei Rebrov, and "Dynamo" from Kiev took home another convincing victory. The Ukrainian team, which had a great season, was only stopped by "Juventus" in the Champions League quarterfinals, eliminating the Kiev team from further competition.
"In Kyiv we won against "Barcelona" 3:0 and my friend said: "Let's see how well you do in the return match". He bet with me that I wouldn't score three goals, and later he had to buy me dinner," - remembering this funny story from the match, the hero of the match A. Shevchenko shared later.
19th place - "Inter" 1 : 5 "Arsenal" 2003/2004 season group stage match
Arsenal fans went into this match last season not with the most optimistic mood. In the Champions League, they were not only defeated at home by the "Inter" club 3:0, but later lost 1:2 to "Dynamo" and played 0:0 with "Lokomotiv". However, they had Thierry Henry in their ranks, and for him, it was no joking matter. The 26-year-old forward experienced the best period of his career, battling future world champions Marco Materazzi and Fabio Cannavaro on the field.
Opening the match with a goal, later T. Henry made an assist to Fredrik Ljungberg and allowed his team to lead 2:1 after 45 minutes. In the second half, the Frenchman completely shattered the entire "Inter" defense with his movements, allowing the "Gunners" to score three more goals and achieve a much-needed and memorable victory.
"Certain players, when they have the desire and dedication for the match, are unstoppable. Last night, there were no players more dedicated to the match than Henry. He just killed "Inter". No controversy, no sadness - only our applause for Mr. Attack," - after the match, the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport had only good words for the Frenchman.
18th place - "Monaco" 8 : 3 "Deportivo" 2003/2004 season group stage match
In the first round of the 2003-2004 Champions League season, the match between "Monaco" and "Deportivo" was not disappointing for the spectators who decided to watch it. From the very beginning of the meeting, both teams attacked each other's defenses without thinking about defense, and goals were scored every few minutes.
Already in the 52nd minute, the result became 7:3, and then the clubs decided to pay a little more attention to their goalkeeping, with only one more goal scored in the remaining time of the match. The memorable match was for the Croatian striker Dado Pršo, who took full advantage of the situation and sent four goals into the net of the Spanish club.
This match was the most prolific Champions League match in history at that time, a record broken only by the meeting of the clubs "Borussia" and "Legia" last season, in which the Germans won by 8:4.
In the 2003-2004 season, "Monaco" marched to the Champions League final, where they failed to defeat the team coached by Jose Mourinho, "Porto".
17th place - "Manchester City" 5 : 3 "Monaco" 2016/2017 season quarterfinal first leg match
Last season at the "Etihad" stadium, spectators witnessed a thriller, after which, despite the failure, the young "Monaco" team received many compliments. This match was unusual because most of the time in the first leg of knockout matches, clubs choose a cautious tactic, but this time it was different, and until then we had not seen eight goals in the first Champions League knockout match.
In this match, the French team managed to lead twice - 2:1 and 3:2, but the Englishmen finished the match fantastically, and thanks to goals from Sergio Aguero, John Stones, and Leroy Sane, they celebrated victory by a two-goal difference. However, although the "City" managed to avoid setbacks in the first leg, the final series result was favorable to the "Monaco" footballers, who celebrated a 3:1 victory at home and thanks to away goals progressed to the next stage of the tournament.
16th place - "Ajax" 5 : 2 "Bayern" 1994/1995 season semifinal second leg match
The Amsterdam team dominated European football from 1970 to 1973, winning three consecutive European Cups, but they had to wait more than 20 years for another Champions League title. Having a fantastic team with players like Edwin van der Sar, Clarence Seedorf, Marc Overmars, Edgar Davids, Patrick Kluivert, and the De Boer twins, they had no equals that year.
The most impressive match of that season was played against the "Bayern" team. After a goalless draw in the first leg, Louis van Gaal's team started the match at home with a quick goal, but soon the Bavarians equalized and took the lead in the overall series. However, as the half was coming to an end, "Ajax" began to demonstrate unstoppable play, scoring four more goals, to which the opponents could only respond with one precise strike.
"Ajax" ended their journey in Europe by defeating the "Milan" club 1:0 in the final and winning the Champions League trophy.
