5 of the most memorable Champions League moments

The 2020/21 Champions League final will take place this weekend as Manchester City take on Chelsea in Portugal and it promises to be another exciting occasion.

Chelsea will be desperate to end the season with silverware but City will not only be looking to win their first ever European Cup, but victory on Saturday will seal a treble as they’ve already won the Premier League and League Cup this season.

Pep Guardiola’s side are the pre-match favourites according to Betway sports as they’re priced at 2/5 to lift the trophy but you wouldn’t bet again Chelsea from causing an upset this weekend.

The Champions League final is seen as the pinnacle of the football season and it’s watched by millions of fans all around the world, so it’s no surprise we’ve seen some memorable moments throughout the years.

Here, we’ll look at five of the most memorable Champions League final moments:

Man Utd 1999

Every Manchester United fan will remember this moment for the rest of their lives and will have to go down as one of the most iconic Champions League finals ever.

Up against the mighty Bayern Munich – who were on course for the treble – United looked beaten as they trailed 1-0 with just minutes remaining. Teddy Sheringham equalised in the 90th minute and with just seconds remaining, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer won it for Man Utd with a dramatic late strike to complete a stunning turn around.

The Nike Mercurial boot worn by Solskjaer that night will go down in history as the football boot that sealed an historic treble for Manchester United and cemented the strikers place as a club legend.

Liverpool 2005

Man Utd’s win in 1999 was pure late drama, but Liverpool victory in 2005 will go down as the greatest comeback of all time. The Merseysiders were trailing AC Milan 3-0 at half-time and even the most optimistic Liverpool fan wouldn’t have predicted what happened after the break.

Steven Gerrard started the fight-back as he made it 3-1 in the 54th minute before Vladmiri Smicer rifled home from 25 yards just minutes later. Xabi Alonso then made it 3-3 in the 60th minute to complete a stunning turn around that saw Liverpool score three times in just six minutes.

Jerzy Dudek made a stunning point blank save to deny Andriy Schevchenko a certain winner in extra-time before being the hero during the penalty shoot-out to secure a memorable victory for Liverpool.

Real Madrid 2014

Trailing 1-0 to rivals Atletico Madrid in the third minute of stoppage time, Real Madrid looked dead and buried. However, Sergio Ramos scored a dramatic late equaliser to send the game into extra-time.

From then on, it was all Real Madrid as they raced into a 3-1 lead before Cristiano Ronaldo sealed a stunning 4-1 victory from the penalty spot. The win over Atletico was memorable enough but it was made extra special as it secured a record 10th European Cup for Real Madrid.

Barcelona 2009

This game was all about one man; Lionel Messi. The Argentinean was unplayable and his superb header helped guide Barcelona to an impressive 2-0 victory over Manchester United.

Obviously it was a huge disappointment for United to lose a Champions League final but there was no disgrace in losing to Messi’s Barcelona. The victory ended the Spaniard’s drought having not previously won the European Cup since 1992.

Real Madrid 2018

This game will be remembered for two moments, one of pure magic and one a certain Liverpool goalkeeper would like to forget. With the game finely poised at 0-0, Loris Karius gifted Madrid the lead after inexplicably throwing the ball against Karim Benzema. Liverpool fans could only watch in horror as the ball rebounded into the net.

The Reds equalised immediately though Sadio Mane and Zinedine Zidane responded by introducing Gareth Bale off the bench. The Welshman made his mark within minutes as he put Madrid ahead with a sensational overhead kick. It will go down as one of the best ever Champions League final goals. Bale went on to seal a 3-1 win for Madrid with another late strike.