Eight determined teams trying their hardest to take the next step in their journey to continental glory, the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals is where it starts to get serious. Since the Champions League got a refresh a couple of decades back, we have seen our fair share of mouth-watering quarter-final matches. We have seen world-class players deliver once-in-lifetime performances to treat fans to goals galore.
As we prepare to soak in eight highly anticipated UEFA Champions League quarter-final matches over the next 10 days, let us check out some of the most explosive tussles the round has witnessed. Here are the five biggest wins in the history of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals:
#5 Barcelona 5-1 Chelsea: April 18, 2000
Premier League outfit Chelsea took an encouraging step toward the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in the 1999-2000 season, beating the mighty Barcelona 3-1 in the quarter-final first leg. Unfortunately for the Pensioners, their hopes came undone in the return leg at Camp Nou on April 18, 2000, as the hosts secured a 5-1 (6-4 on aggregate) victory in added extra time.
Rivaldo landed the first blow for Barcelona in the 24th minute before Luis Figo put the hosts 2-0 up. Tore Andre Flo brought Chelsea back into the contest by pulling one back in the 60th minute. With just seven minutes left to play, Dani Garcia popped up with Barca’s third goal of the night, pushing the game into extra time. The Catalans ran circles around the Londoners in extra time, with Rivaldo and Patrick Kluivert adding one goal each in the first half to secure a 5-1 victory.
#4 Barcelona 5-1 Shakhtar Donetsk: April 6, 2011
Barcelona claimed their fourth UEFA Champions League trophy in the 2010-11 season, beating Manchester United in the final. En route, they bested Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in the quarter-finals, beating them 6-1 on aggregate. The Blaugrana did terminal damage in the first leg itself, bagging a massive 5-1 win on April 6, 2011.
Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta got on the scoresheet in the second minute, setting the tone for the game at Camp Nou. Dani Alves scored in the 34th minute, to give Barca a healthy lead heading into halftime. Gerard Pique scored the third of the night in the 53rd minute before Seydou Keita and Xavi Hernandez completed the routing. Yaroslav Rakitskyy scored Shakhtar’s only goal at Camp Nou.
#3 Bayern Munich 6-1 FC Porto: April 21, 2015
Bundesliga holders Bayern Munich found themselves in a pickle in the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. After suffering a harrowing 3-1 defeat to FC Porto in the first leg, the Bavarians were left with a mountain to climb in the return at the Allianz Arena. Ultimately, they made light work of it, recording a massive 6-1 win and cruising to the last four with a 7-4 aggregate score.
Thiago Alcantara was the first man on the scoresheet on April 22, 2015, with the midfielder finding the back of the Porto net in the 14th minute. Jerome Boateng made it 2-0 for Bayern before Thomas Muller (36′) and Robert Lewandowski (brace: 27′, 40′) put the hosts 5-0 up. Jackson Martinez pulled one back for the visitors, but Xabi Alonso scored a fine free-kick in the 88th minute to cancel it out.
#2 Manchester United 7-1 AS Roma: April 10, 2007
Premier League giants Manchester United suffered a 2-1 defeat to AS Roma in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final clash in the 2006-07 season. They needed an impressive showing at Old Trafford to turn it around in the return leg, but even the most optimistic Manchester United fan would have expected such a commanding display. The Red Devils claimed an emphatic 7-1 over the Serie A outfit on April 11, 2007, progressing to the semi-finals with an 8-3 aggregate scoreline.
Michael Carrick landed the first blow for Manchester United in the 11th minute before Alan Smith doubled their money six minutes later. Wayne Rooney joined the party in the 19th minute while Cristiano Ronaldo added the fourth in the 44th minute. The Portuguese superstar struck again in the 49th minute before Carrick completed his brace on the hour mark. Patrice Evra scored the seventh for United in the 81st minute, while Daniele De Rossi bagged Roma’s consolation goal in the 69th minute.
#1 Bayern Munich 8-2 Barcelona: August 14, 2020
Bayern Munich hold the record for clinching the biggest-ever win in a UEFA Champions League quarter-final match. They clinched the record on August 15, 2020, beating Barcelona 8-2 in a COVID-enforced one-legged quarter-final at the Estadio do SL Benfica.
The Bavarians opened the scoring in the fourth minute, with Thomas Muller finding the back of the net. David Alaba scored an own goal to restore parity for Barca, but it was not long before Bayern resumed control. Ivan Perisic (22′), Serge Gnabry (27′), and Muller (31′) found the back of the net to send Bayern 4-1 up at halftime. Luis Suarez reduced the deficit for the Blaugrana in the 57th minute, but a goal each from Joshua Kimmich (63′) and Robert Lewandowski (82′) took the wind out of their sails. Phillip Coutinho, who was on loan at Bayern from Barcelona, added a late brace (85′,89′) to seal the historic win for the German powerhouse.
