Champions League knockout stage matches are not decided early after the first leg, even if the scores are high.
It may appear to some that Barcelona have made great strides towards qualifying for the Champions League semi-finals with their 3-2 win over Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes stadium, PSG’s home ground, last Wednesday.
But the history of the Champions League before the return match between Barcelona and Paris at the Stade Louis Companys confirms that anything is possible.
In the following report, Al Arab sheds light on the most prominent matches that witnessed teams achieving victories outside their home grounds and then bid farewell to the competition later in front of their fans.
Bayern Munich vs Inter Milan (2011)
Bayern Munich and Inter Milan repeated their 2010 final encounter in the round of 16 in 2011.
Bayern took revenge for their 2-0 defeat in the 2010 final, winning 1-0 at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium in the first leg, becoming the first candidate to advance to the quarter-finals.
But Inter took advantage of the crises that Bayern Munich suffered at the time with Dutch coach Louis van Gaal and achieved a 3-2 victory at the Allianz Arena to qualify for the quarter-finals on the away goal rule with two goals, which was canceled in 2021.
Barcelona vs Paris Saint-Germain (2017)
As for big results and how to overcome them, Paris Saint-Germain itself was a victim of a comeback in the 2017 round of 16 against Barcelona.
Paris Saint-Germain won 4-0 at home before losing 6-1 at Camp Nou in the second leg, leaving the French capital club with the worst nightmare in European history and the heaviest defeat in its continental journey over the years.
Manchester United vs Paris (2019)
Paris Saint-Germain of France came out with a comfortable 2-0 win at Manchester United of England in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League for the 2018-2019 season.
But the Red Devils, under the watchful eye of their coaching legend Sir Alex Ferguson, surprised the world in the second leg with a 3-1 win that gave them a ticket to the quarter-finals on the away goals rule with two goals.
Real Madrid vs Ajax (2019)
Real Madrid managed to exit the stadium of Ajax Amsterdam in the round of 16 of the 2018-2019 edition with a 2-1 victory, making it an extraordinary candidate to advance to the quarter-finals, especially since it was the champion in the last 3 editions.
But Ajax surprised the world in the second leg with an unexpected and crushing 4-1 victory, ending the Merengue’s dominance of the title of the Big Eared.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Ajax (2019)
Ajax Amsterdam won 1-0 against Tottenham Hotspur at the Spurs Stadium in the 2018-19 semi-final to look favourites to progress at the Amsterdam Arena a week later.
Coach Erik ten Hag’s team led 2-0 in the second leg, but Spurs star Lucas Moura scored a hat-trick, the third of which came in stoppage time, to send the North London team to the final.
Barcelona vs Liverpool (2019)
Barcelona, led by star Lionel Messi, beat Liverpool 3-0 in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final to put one foot in the 2019 final at the Wanda Metropolitano.
But Liverpool defied all expectations and defeated Barcelona 4-0 in the second leg, then succeeded in winning the Champions League title.
