We are just days away from an all-English Champions League final as Liverpool and Tottenham face off on 1st June in Madrid. Both teams have had quite an extraordinary run to the final, as they overturned first-leg defeats to make it to the final of Europe’s elite competition.
The final of the 2018-19 Champions League will be an exciting affair as both teams are known for their attacking flair and pressing game.
The two English teams could put on an extraordinary show for fans around the world, but could their final match up to these three classic finals?
Let’s take a look at the top 3 memorable performances in Champions League finals
Manchester United vs Bayern Munich – 1999
Possibly one of the most memorable moments in Manchester United’s history, the Red Devils overturned a 1-0 deficit in the final against Bayern Munich, with two late goals in injury time. United were destined to win the trophy as they had several close moments as Bayern’s attackers couldn’t finish off the match, missing easy chances.
Teddy Sheringham scored in the 91st minute from a corner, and it looked as though the game would go to extra time, with the match ending at 1-1.
But, a late goal from Ole Gunnar Solskjær in the 92nd minute, once again from a corner, resulted in the match going in United’s favour, and their second ever European trophy after the 1968 European Cup final.
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid – 2014
Real Madrid have had a tremendous decade in the Champions League. The Spanish club won 4 out of 5 Champions Leagues between 2013-14 and 2017-18, and now have a total of 13 European titles, the most in football history.
The second of their four trophies came in 2014, and in quite dramatic fashion. After winning the league for the first time in almost two decades, Atletico Madrid were moments away from winning their Champions League after a first-half goal from defender Diego Godin gave Atletico Madrid the lead.
In the dying moments of the match, Sergio Ramos – as he has done on numerous occasions – came up with a bullet header that nestled the back of the net in the 93rd minute.
Real Madrid took the game to extra time, where they dominated the game, scoring three goals in extra time, and the match ended 4-1 in favour of Real Madrid. They then went on to win a hat-trick of Champions League trophies.
Liverpool vs AC Milan – 2005
If there was one match that aptly describes the phrase “a game of two halves”, it is this match – the 2005 Champions League final between Liverpool and AC Milan. This was a final between two clubs with a rich European history. And this was also a final where one team let go off the game, while the other snatched it and kept it firmly with them.
Milan took an early lead with Paolo Maldini scoring as early as the first minute, and the Italian team went on to dominate the first half, scoring two more to give Milan a 3-0 lead at half-time; Liverpool’s first European final in two decades wasn’t going as planned. But then manager Rafa Benitez made a few changes to the Liverpool formation, and it seemed to work wonders.
By the 60th minute, Liverpool had erased Milan’s lead, as they scored three quick goals, with captain Steven Gerrard being in the middle of all the good things that the Merseyside club did.
The game eventually went to penalties, and Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek saving two penalties, including the decisive one shot by Milan’s Andriy Shevchenko.
