How does City vs. Monaco compare to other knockout-stage thrillers?
Manchester City pulled off an incredible 5-3 win over AS Monaco in the first leg of an enthralling last-16 tie on Tuesday, with both sides swapping punches (and goals) before Pep Guardiola’s side emerged triumphant.
It was equal parts amazing and head-spinning.
But how does this match rank among the best back-and-forth’s in Champions League knockout-round history?
Here are some other memorable nights of action between two teams that traded jabs throughout 90 minutes.
Schalke tests Real Madrid’s resolve
In the 2014-15 Champions League Round of 16, Real Madrid went into its second-leg tilt against German outfit Schalke 04 holding a 2-0 victory procured at the Veltins-Arena, but what transpired at the Santiago Bernabeu was nearly a dream turned nightmare for fans of Los Blancos.
Christian Fuchs opened the scoring for Schalke in the 20th minute, before Cristiano Ronaldo notched an equaliser five minutes later. All seemed well for Real Madrid, but for another goal by Klaas-Jan Huntelaar at the 40-minute mark. Ronaldo redeemed his side again at the stroke of halftime, then Karim Benzema looked to end the tie once and for all with his 53rd-minute strike.
But Leroy Sane – who starred Tuesday at the Etihad for Manchester City – turned up the heat for Schalke, scoring in the 57th minute, and Real Madrid’s assured lead was under threat once more. It nearly evaporated when Huntelaar added another in the 84th minute, but Madrid held on to survive what should have been a straightforward match on paper.
Aggregate: Real Madrid 5-4 Schalke
Borussia Dortmund’s 2012-13 heroics
Borussia Dortmund’s historic 2012-13 Champions League run may have ended in the final at the hands of German rival Bayern Munich, but the underdog side’s path to the end was paved by a pair of incredible turnaround results orchestrated by then-manager Jurgen Klopp.
Dortmund kicked off its Round of 16 tie against Shakhtar Donetsk, with Darijo Srna opening the scoring at the half-hour mark. That just wouldn’t do for Robert Lewandowski, who equalised just shy of half-time. But, as in the first half, Dortmund went down in the second courtesy of Douglas Costa, and needed an 87th-minute leveler by Mats Hummels to spare its blushes.
A 3-0 win in the second leg assured Dortmund a quarter-final match up with Malaga, and a 0-0 draw in the away fixture set up a huge chance at Signal Iduna Park for the second leg. There, Joaquin opened the scoring, before Lewandowski equalised. Then, in the 82nd minute, Eliseu scored a second away goal for Malaga.
But for a 91st-minute goal by Marco Reus and a 93rd-minute winner by Felipe Santana, Dortmund would have been eliminated at home. Instead, that epic last-gasp double saved Dortmund’s day.
Aggregate: Dortmund 5-2 Shakhtar // Dortmund 3-2 Malaga
Liverpool gives Chelsea a scare
It took quite a few goals to separate two Premier League giants in the 2008-09 Champions League quarter-finals. Chelsea disposed of Liverpool quite easily with a 3-1 win in the opening stanza at Anfield, but Liverpool made sure to return the favour at Stamford Bridge by equalising on aggregate by way of a pair of first-half goals by Fabio Aurelio and Xabi Alonso.
Chelsea responded with a Didier Drogba goal in the 51st minute, an Alex strike in the 57th minute, and a Frank Lampard goal in the 76th minute. It was all over…until it wasn’t. Suddenly, Liverpool mounted a response, with Lucas Leiva scoring in the 81st minute and Dirk Kuyt scoring another two minutes later.
Lampard took it upon himself to answer the question “is the comeback real?” by scoring Chelsea’s seventh of the tie in the 89th minute. That was that.
Aggregate: Chelsea 7-5 Liverpool
The most epic comeback of all
Of course, we can’t talk about back-and-forth encounters without mentioning the greatest of them all: Liverpool’s incredible come-from-behind Champions League victory over AC Milan in 2005 remains perhaps the greatest plot twist in the tournament’s history.
Milan dominated the first 45 minutes, with Paolo Maldini opening the scoring right off the bat and Hernan Crespo adding two more before halftime. But then Steven Gerrard’s side trotted out for the second half and pulled off an epic six-minute revenge mission. The Englishman scored in the 54th minute, which was then followed up by Vladimir Smicer and Alonso.
The rest, as they say, is history, and Liverpool won it all on penalties.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)
