They managed to turn the situation around.
The fourth round of the Champions League ended, after which the lineups in the tournament groups became more or less certain. And for some teams making the playoffs seems like a miracle, while for others it seems like a guaranteed event. And if it’s rather boring to talk about guaranteed things, then you can remember the miracles. In particular, we will talk about how in different years several teams managed to extricate themselves from critical situations in the groups and reached the playoffs.
Newcastle in the 2002/03 season
IN nuclear submarine Bobby Robson’s Newcastle rose quite high, but it was difficult to match the best clubs in Europe. That season, the Magpies lost their first three group matches against Dynamo Kyiv, Feyenoord and Juventus, without scoring a single goal. It seemed that relegation was guaranteed. But Newcastle didn’t give up. The comeback began against Juventus with Davids and Del Piero on the pitch. Then there were victories over Dynamo and Feyenoord with Craig Bellamy’s last minute goal. Newcastle became the first club to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League after losing their opening three matches.
Arsenal in the 2003/04 season
The Gunners became legends that season nuclear submarine, having won the status of invincible. But Arsenal had no such status in European competitions. He lost two of his first three Champions League matches. Furthermore, Inter lost at Highbury with a score of 0:3. However, already in the fourth round, Arsenal defeated Dynamo Kiev thanks to Ashley Cole’s goal in the 88th minute. Then Inter was defeated in Milan with a score of 5:1. Then Thierry Henry scored a brace and this game became legendary. In the end the Gunners defeated Lokomotiv at home (2:0) and won the group.
Lokomotiv in the 2003/04 season
That group that season turned out to be historic. Lokomotiv then finished second, although in the first two rounds they scored only one point, having drawn with Arsenal. Everyone thought that the Muscovites would remain at the bottom of the group. But in the duels with Inter they managed to score four points, even losing 3:0 at home. And in the penultimate round they beat Dynamo Kiev (3:2), and Lokomotiv advanced to the playoffs.
Porto in the 2003/04 season
And again the same season. The then Cup winner of UEFA entered the Champions League and started badly. Under the leadership of young Jose Mourinho, the Dragons scored just one point in the first two rounds Champions League. But in the other four matches Porto scored 10 points out of a possible 12. They beat Marseille with Didier Drogba and Partizan, and there was a draw with Real Madrid. That season Porto not only exited the group, but also won the Champions League. This season has been fantastic.
Liverpool in the 2004/05 season
But Liverpool also won the Champions League, after suffering in the group stage. After losing to Monaco in the penultimate round, Liverpool had to beat Olympiacos by at least two goals to qualify for the playoffs. But Rafa Benitez’s team did not make their task easier and conceded first. The aftermath was even more dramatic, in which the “Reds” reversed the situation.
Werder Bremen in the 2005/06 season
In five rounds, Werder scored only four points and needed a real miracle to reach the playoffs. In the decisive match, Bremen met Panathinaikos. As a result, the German club won with a score of 5:1. But even this may not be enough. If in a parallel match Barcelona had not eliminated Udinese. One of the most dramatic finals of the group, if we talk about the intrigue down to the end and the fight of four clubs.
Olympiacos in the 2007/08 season
That season, Olympiacos was one of the weakest scoring teams in the entire Champions League. Furthermore, they finished in a group with Real Madrid, Lazio and Werder Bremen. No one expected miracles from the Greeks. They were seen in last place in the quartet. But they eliminated Werder Bremen, drew with Real Madrid and finished second, five points behind Real Madrid.
Liverpool in the 2007/08 season
Once again Liverpool found themselves in a difficult situation and emerged from it with dignity. In three matches against Marseille, Porto and Besiktas, the Reds scored just one point. But then Liverpool scored a record eight goals against Besiktas at Anfield and beat Porto 4-1. The Reds would become the first team to beat Marseille away from home. And Liverpool completed the feat, winning with a score of 4:0. Now he is solving problems in the Europa League.
Bayern in the 2009/10 season
Then Louis van Gaal’s team scored four points in the first four rounds and looked lackluster. Bayern found themselves in the position of having to win the two remaining matches and hope for favorable results in the parallel matches. And everything went well. Bayern beat Maccabi Haifa (1:0), then beat Juventus (4:1), beat the Bianconeri in the group and advanced to the playoffs. All the more surprising is that the Munich team managed to reach the final, where they lost to Mourinho’s Inter.
Celtic in the 2012/13 season
The Celts compete more or less regularly in the Champions League, but always finish in the last places and do not reach the playoffs. This was the case in 2012. They scored four points in three rounds, but miraculously managed to beat Barcelona at home, possessing the ball 16.4% of the time. This is the lowest score ever recorded for a winner in the tournament. In the penultimate round, Celtic lost to Benfica and finished third in the group. But he managed to defeat Lokomotiv, who, as we see, regularly spoiled everyone’s blood, in the final round thanks to a penalty in the 81st minute and jumped into the playoffs.
