The UEFA Champions League is one of the biggest and most prestigious club football competitions in the world. Each year, the best teams from across Europe battle it out to see who will be crowned champions. Along the way, there are often some truly incredible moments that live long in the memory of football fans around the world.
The semi-final stage of the competition is often where the drama reaches new heights. From late goals to the impossible comeback, and the occasional red card, the Champions League semi-finals have produced some of the most remarkable ties of recent years. Here, we take a look back at some of the most memorable moments from the past decade.
Real Madrid 6-5 Manchester City (2022)
The first match on our list is from the most recent edition of the competition. In the 2022 semi-finals, Manchester City faced off against Real Madrid in what was expected to be a tightly contested tie. The first leg at the Etihad Stadium lived up to expectations, with City winning 4-3 in a thrilling encounter.
With a one-goal lead going into the second leg at the Bernabeu, City would have been confident of progressing to the final. However, Real Madrid had other ideas. Substitute Rodrygo kick-started an incredible turnaround, putting two efforts past Ederson in as many minutes right at the end of normal time. To Manchester City's disbelief, they now had to put up with a fully enthused Madrid side, who managed to grab a place in the Champions League final thanks to a 95th-minute penalty from Karim Benzema. Pure drama.
Barcelona 3-4 Liverpool (2019)
The 2019 semi-final between Barcelona and Liverpool is one of the most memorable ties in recent Champions League history. After a 3-0 win for Barcelona in the first leg, Liverpool needed a second-leg miracle. Usual starters Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino were missing - but up stepped Divock Origi.
The striker pulled one back in the first 10 minutes and, as belief rose inside a fervent Anfield, midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum popped up with two goals in two minutes to level the tie. Rarely have you seen Barcelona so rattled. Messi was as anonymous as he was omnipresent just a week earlier, and when Origi swept in Trent Alexander-Arnold's quick corner with 11 minutes left the incredible had become reality.
Tottenham 3-3 Ajax (2019)
The second semi-final from 2019 on our list is the incredible match between Tottenham and Ajax. Ajax had been the breakout side of the competition, beating Real Madrid and Juventus to set up a tie with Tottenham. So it was perhaps no surprise when they left London with a 1-0 lead.
In Amsterdam things went from bad to worse for Tottenham. With no Harry Kane up front, they were facing a mountain to climb when Matthijs de Ligt and Hakim Ziyech made it 3-0 on aggregate before half-time. However, Lucas Moura inspired a magnificent comeback. The forward scored twice in the space of four minutes to leave the visitors needing one goal to go through, and after Jan Vertonghen had headed against the post, Moura's low drive completed his hat-trick to give his side victory on the away goals rule and set up an all-English final against Liverpool.
Borussia Dortmund 4-3 Real Madrid (2013)
The 2013 semi-final between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid was a classic encounter between two of Europe's top teams. Robert Lewandowski was the hero for Dortmund, scoring a first-leg treble as they knocked out the Spanish giants.
Real needed a 3-0 win in the second leg to go through but a fine performance
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