The evening Deportivo La Coruna surprised AC Milan with a traditional Champions League comeback
Liverpool vs. Milan, Barcelona vs. Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool vs. Barcelona, Tottenham vs. Ajax – the listing goes on.
On the subject of comebacks, nobody does it just like the UEFA Champions League.
Europe’s elite membership competitors has produced a number of the most stinging, hair-extending and breath-taking moments in soccer historical past. And on April 7, 2004, Deportivo La Coruna used the well-known stage to provide their very own second of pure euphoria and mistrust of Rossoneri.
By the nighttime, the Galicians had established themselves as a European drive, having certified for the Champions League in 5 consecutive campaigns from 2000 to 2004. They gained their first and solely La Liga title within the 1999/00 marketing campaign and completed in second place. twice over the subsequent three seasons, which additionally secured a 2002 Copa del Rey trophy.
Their greatest efficiency in Europe was the 2003/04 season once they reached the Champions League semi-finals, courtesy of one in every of the good European comebacks.
The quarter-final draw between Deportivo and Milan started as most thought it might. A typical majestic Kaka keep, a robust Andriy Shevchenko solo aim and a trademark Andrea Pirlo free-kick (all in eight different halves) emphatically toppled Walter Pandiani’s 11-minute strike to provide the Italian giants a seemingly irreversible 4-1 first stage win on the San Siro.
It was one other main function for Kaka when AC Milan gained the primary stage 4-1 | MIGUEL RIOPA / Getty Pictures
However the Spanish underdogs by no means misplaced religion and solely got here again stronger for the second stage on the Estadio Riazor. Pandiani put them ahead in 5 minutes, which gave Dida no likelihood with a beautiful twist in the sting of the realm earlier than he discovered the underside nook.
Juan Carlos Valeron then pulled again one other aim within the thirty fifth minute and took benefit of Dida’s unusually sloppy goalkeeper to get in from just a few meters. And it was three earlier than the half-fistula pipe when Albert Luque stole in and rifled the ball into the online’s roof to place his aspect ahead on the general scoreboard with the away aim.
Now that the semi-final is now misplaced, the Galician aspect didn’t cease pushing and at last ended the sensational comeback within the 73rd minute when substitute Fran put the ball in Dida’s web on half volley to make it 4-0 and by doing so, put Estadio Riazor in absolute pandemonium and full shock.
It was mistrust of the Deportivo supporters | MIGUEL RIOPA / Getty Pictures
The actually shocking comeback would e book Deportivo in Champions League historical past, as nicely because the 2003/04 version of the competitors’s semi-final. They’d ultimately lose the subsequent spherical a whole of 1-0 to Porto who beneath the management of Jose Mourinho continued to carry the trophy.
Whereas the Los Blanquiazules have failed to duplicate such magic since and have nearly disappeared to mediocrity since their thrilling Champions League escapades, they may all the time be remembered for one in every of the most important comebacks of the competitors.
And though it will probably be very, very far again to its earlier heights, Deportivo can rise from the ashes – stranger issues have occurred.
