After the end of the Champions League group stage, the 16 strongest teams of the season will only compete in the knockout matches next year in February, which means that we won't see any Champions League clashes in the next two months. During this break, we suggest to remember the top 25 Champions League matches of all time, as rated by the fourfourtwo website. Today we present the final part of the five-part article. 5th place – "Deportivo" 4 : 0 "Milan" 2003/2004 quarter-final second leg match "Deportivo" traveled to this match with little hope of reaching the semi-finals: until then no team in the Champions League had managed to overcome a three-goal deficit from the first leg, and in the first match the Spaniards lost 1:4 to the then champions "Milan." Nevertheless, the coach of the team, Javier Irureta, believed in this dream rescue, and before the match he successfully convinced his team members. In the fifth minute, Walter Pandiani scored the first goal, and before the halftime, goals from Juane Carlos Valeron and Alberto Luque allowed "Deportivo" to lead in the series based on the away goals rule. In the second half, the work started by the team was finished by Franas, and his team celebrated one of the least expected victories in the entire history of the Champions League. "The match unfolded exactly according to the dream script. It was almost an impossible mission, but our incredible first half allowed us to score the much-needed goals," - after the match, J. Irureta struggled to find words. 4th place – "Milan" 4 : 0 "Barcelona" 1993/1994 final "You are the better team. You will win," - before the match, this short message was conveyed to his players by the "Barcelona" coach Johan Cruyff. This thought settled in the minds of his players, and the team that had won the Champions League the previous year and had won four consecutive "La Liga" titles firmly believed in their strength. "We were too confident. We thought it would be an easy match, which we would win even at 60-70% capacity," - speaking to fourfourtwo, defender Alberto Ferreras admitted. Center-back Miguel Angel Nadal also revealed that they were guaranteed victory, especially with offensive players like Hristo Stoichkov and Romario. However, "Milan" coach Fabio Capello did not agree with such ideas. The Italian team, led by Marcel Desailly, completely dismantled "Barcelona's" play in the middle of the park, but most of the laurels for this victory should go to the playmaker Dejan Savicevic. "Without a doubt, Dejan was the player I argued with most often. Nevertheless, he worked very hard, and when he was in the midfield, everyone else had to work twice as hard because he was an incredible talent," - Fabio Capello spoke about the fantastic final player. "Milan" not only triumphed with a crushing victory but also killed Johan Cruyff's "dream team," which could no longer return to the heights demonstrated before. 3rd place – "Manchester United" 2 : 1 "Bayern" 1998/1999 final Everyone who watched this match, try to close your eyes and remember what happened during the first 90 minutes of play? Those with better memory should remember Mario Basler's penalty kick, which "Bayern" took the lead with. However, even they probably forgot that the "Red Devils" created very few chances to score, and they only responded with weak attempts from Ryan Giggs and Jasper Blomqvist hitting the goalposts twice. But what happened during extra time is almost impossible to forget for anyone who watched this match. After David Beckham's lifted corner, Teddy Sheringham corrected Ryan Giggs's unsuccessful attempt, it seemed like they had already sent the teams into extra time. However, then another corner was taken, during which the ball was sent into the net by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, expanding his team's incredible victory. These few minutes of extra time are considered the worst in Bayern's team history and the most impressive in the entire history of the Manchester United club. 2nd place – "Barcelona" 6 : 1 "Paris Saint-Germain" 2016/2017 quarter-final second leg match "This is the sport of crazy people. I would like to cry, but tears just won't come out of me," - said "Barca" coach Luis Enrique after the match. These matches could also be called crazy. After being defeated in France 4:0, the Barcelona players went to fight for their honor at home and deep down hoped that they had a chance to come back in this series. Despite that, after Luis Suarez's goal, Layvin Kurzawa's own goal, and Lionel Messi's penalty goal, the Catalans led 3:0, and they lacked only one more goal to equalize the series. Then hope at the Camp Nou stadium was almost killed when Edinson Cavani scored a goal for his team in the 62nd minute, meaning that for Barcelona's players to advance to the next stage, they needed to score three more goals. Even the hosts themselves seemed not to believe in their chances, as until the 88th minute they failed to reduce the gap with the opponents. But then what they could not even dream of happened for PSG fans. Neymar's goal from the penalty ignited a small hope, and referee Deniz Aytekin, impressed by Luis Suarez's play, awarded an 11-meter penalty, which, when scored, meant that Barcelona needed only one accurate shot. In the fifth minute of added time, the seventh goal of the match was scored by Sergi Roberto, who sent all Barcelona fans into euphoria. After the match, most players struggled to find their words, but defender Gerard Pique did not hesitate to speak out. "Tonight there will be a lot of people sharing their love," - said Pique with a broad smile after the match. 1st place – "Milan" 3 : 3 "Liverpool" (2:3 after a penalty shootout) 2004/2005 final Rated as the best Champions League match of all time by fourfourtwo - the "Miracle of Istanbul." Even more than a decade later, these matches remain as the most unbelievably incredible and worthy of a movie script. Although "Liverpool" was not a weak team, comparing their squads, the Italian advantage could be seen. In the left-back position, "Milan" had Paolo Maldini, while in the same position on "Liverpool's" side played Djimi Traore. The Italian club also had such famous and well-known players as Andrea Pirlo, Alessandro Nesta, Gennaro Gattuso, Clarence Seedorf, Andriy Shevchenko, Kaka, and Cafu. Meanwhile, "Liverpool" included players like Steve Finnan, Milan Baros, and Harry Kewell, most of whom football fans never considered stars and had already forgotten. Moreover, that season they were 37 points behind "Chelsea" in the Premier League. The difference in quality was reflected in the first half: P. Maldini scored a goal in the first attack, later Hernan Crespo added two goals, and Kaka did whatever he wanted in the first 45 minutes. During the break, the majority spoke about the "Reds" shame, and "Liverpool" fans could only be glad that at that time the Twitter app was not yet released, where such performances would quickly be condemned by a widespread football fan audience. Even the most devoted fans during the halftime break sang "You'll Never Walk Alone" at the Istanbul stadium not as a sign of hope but more as support for their favorite devastated players from the first half. But after the break, madness began: substitute Dietmar Hamann stifled Kaka, and moved forward, Steven Gerrard helped his native club to score three goals in just six minutes and equalize the result. The action did not stop until the penalty shootout: Jerzy Dudek miraculously saved A. Shevchenko's strike, S. Gerrard demonstrated top-level breakthrough, and Jamie Carragher heroically defended even when he was struggling with a ruptured nose. In the climax of the most impressive match, J. Dudek shined, allowing the "Liverpool" club to rejoice in their fifth European title, and in the history of the Champions League, these matches were inscribed as the best tournament match.
