Genuine shocks in Champions League and European Cup finals are as rare as hen’s teeth, the competition usually made up of the continent’s elite.
Though hardly giant-killings, the least fancied side however can occasionally prevail, as in the case of these five surprising triumphs.
Steaua Bucuresti (1986)
Without wishing to diminish one of Romania’s greatest ever sporting achievements, Steaua had a notably easy path to the final, their toughest opponent on route being Anderlecht in the semis.
But now they faced Barcelona at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez in Seville, not a vintage Barca side, it has to be said, but still one featuring the irrepressible Bernd Schuster.
The German midfielder could start an argument in an empty room, but could also make a ball do impressions if so inclined.
Un 7 de mayo, pero de 1986, Steaua Bucarest escribió historia en la Champions: venció 2-0 en los penales a Barcelona después de igualar 0-0 y se convirtió en el 1° y único campeón rumano. El arquero, Helmuth Duckadam, atajó 4. Nadie igualó esa hazaña. pic.twitter.com/kjNLbZWQPS
— VarskySports (@VarskySports) May 7, 2023
Aware they were up against it, the Romanians shut up shop for 120 minutes, and grabbed a highly unlikely victory via pens.
Those who managed to stay awake for the two hours of tedium saw the favourites miss all four of their spot-kicks.
FC Porto (1987)
Despite having a midfield bolstered by Lothar Matthaus and the always fantastic Andreas Brehme, and despite taking an early lead, Bayern Munich still managed to succumb to one of the tournament’s biggest ever upsets, losing to a decent but very beatable Porto.
1987 European Cup Final : F.C Porto vs F.C Bayern
— Old School Panini (@OldSchoolPanini) April 3, 2019
The famous back heel by Rabah Madjer : pic.twitter.com/jC8evT8Ys1
Besides the upset itself, what is chiefly recalled from this balmy night in Vienna is Rabah Madjer’s equaliser, an impudent back-heel that is usually reserved for playground show-offs.
So shocked were the Germans that they conceded again just three minutes later.
Borussia Dortmund (1997)
Voted the 13th greatest manager of all-time by ESPN, Ottmar Hitzfeld had guided Dortmund to consecutive Bundesliga titles.
Could he now mastermind a famous win over an indomitable Juventus side, studded with the likes of Zidane and Del Piero? He could, and what’s more, his team did it in style.
⚫🟡 𝗟𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗻 confirmando el título del Dortmund en 1997 🏆#OTD | #UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/51pcvjMunQ
— Liga de Campeones (@LigadeCampeones) May 28, 2023
2-1 up courtesy of a brace from Karl-Heinz Riedle – and we only wish our Champions League betting offers were around back then because Riedle always scored on the big occasions - Hitzfeld brought on Lars Ricken to shore things up for the final 20 minutes.
Ricken promptly scored with his very first touch, an audacious lob from distance.
That’s the thing about great managers. They’re lucky.
Liverpool (2005)
The ‘Miracle of Istanbul’ has gone down in Champions League folklore due to Liverpool’s frankly ridiculous three-goal comeback in the second half against AC Milan.
In truth though, the Reds winning in any circumstances was quite the surprise.
🤩 Classic Champions League displays 🤩
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 17, 2019
Gerrard 🆚 AC Milan
Final, 2005.
Three-nil down at half-time in the final in Istanbul.
The rest is history.. 👊 pic.twitter.com/BdG2JVYEKC
Granted, Gerrard and Xabi Alonso could boss any centre-circle they liked but this wasn’t a particularly impressive Liverpool side, coming fifth in the league that year, with no player reaching double figures for goals.
Up front they relied on Milan Baros whereas Milan had Andrei Shevchenko. For creativity, Liverpool turned to Luis Garcia, whereas Milan had Kaka. At left-back, the Italians boasted Paolo Maldini. The victors had Djimi Traore.
You see the point being made.
Chelsea (2012)
Chelsea’s Champions League winners odds began shortish, then went long as their season collapsed into chaos.
By early spring, the Blues were well adrift of a top four finish in the league, prompting the club to dispense with Andre Villas-Boas and hire Roberto Di Matteo in a caretaker role.
His objective was simply to steer the side into the summer without too much further damage.
🇨🇮 @didierdrogba announced his retirement #OTD last year...
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) November 21, 2019
🔵 #TBT to this moment for @ChelseaFC 🏆#UCL | #ThrowbackThursday pic.twitter.com/msK5BJUk1N
Yet in Europe, Chelsea continued to win, sailing past Barcelona in the semi-finals before taking on Bayern Munich in their own backyard.
Surely in Munich though, their otherwise poor season would catch up with them?
On the contrary, because with his very last kick in a blue short, Didier Drogba blasted home the winning pen after earlier scoring a last-gasp equaliser.
