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From dramatic heartbreakers to epic last-minute game-winners, the UEFA Champions League never fails to live up to expectations with some of the most exciting results you’ll ever witness. Of course, winning the game at the last minute is one of the greatest feats any goalscorer can accomplish, especially when it seems your team is down and out.
In this article, we’ll outline five of the best last-minute game-winners in the UEFA Champions League, including who scored the goal, what team they were playing for, what stage of the Champions League it was in, and how late in the game it was when they scored.
Kicking off the list was an absolute heartbreaker for Barcelona fans, while it may very well be the reason Chelsea managed to win the Champions League that year. Tied at 2-2 on aggregate (with the away goal rule still in place), Chelsea would just need to see out their final leg of the Semi-finals at home stadium Stamford Bridge without letting up a goal to move on to the final.
Despite having John Terry sent off with a red card earlier in the match, Chelsea’s Fernando Torres would latch onto a long ball over the top to start a breakaway, beat goalkeeper Victor Valdes, and tap the ball into the net in the 93’ to send Chelsea to the UEFA Champions League Final.
Almost a mirror image of the 2011/2012 semi-final, Barcelona would commit the same act against Chelsea in the 2009 Champions League Semis. With the away goal rule still in place, Barcelona and Chelsea would head to their second leg match at Stamford Bridge with a 0-0 aggregate, meaning Barcelona needed a single goal to progress even if Chelsea netted one themselves.
Regardless, Chelsea would lead the entire match with a 9’ goal from Michael Essien and were seemingly on the fringe of reading to the finals. However, Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta would crack a shot from outside the 18-yard box in the 93’ to tie the game 1-1 on aggregate, where Barcelona would progress to the Finals due to the now abolished away-goal rule.
As one of the most exciting comebacks to occur in the Champions League, Tottenham’s Lucas Moura would be the sole factor in capturing a UEFA Champions League Final spot for the Hotspurs during the 2018/2019 season. Ajax took the lead in the first leg with a crucial away goal and a 1-0 result at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, giving them a major advantage heading into the second leg.
In the second match, Ajax’s Mattheus De Ligt would score in the 5’ before Hakim Ziyech would score again in the 35’ to give Ajax a 3-0 aggregate lead. To everyone’s surprise, Tottenham would sub on the hero Lucas Moura, who would net two quick goals in the 55’ and 59’, pulling the game back within reach. It would take until the 96’ for Lucas Moura to score one of the most clutch goals in UEFA Champions League history, sending his team to the UCL Finals for the first time (from seemingly being knocked out), with the score tied at 3-3 aggregate, although the Hotspurs would have 3 away goals to pull them through.
One of the best comeback stories to ever happen in the UEFA Champions League was during the 2016/2017 Round of 16, where an all-star Barcelona team surprisingly lost the first leg to a dominant PSG team with a 4-0 aggregate scoreline. The second leg took place at Barcelona’s Camp Nou, where they’d have to score at least 4 goals to force the game to OT.
It started brilliantly for Barcelona, committing the unthinkable by scoring 3’, 40’, and 55’, bringing the game to a 4-3 aggregate scoreline, just before PSG’s Edison Cavani would extend PSG’s lead to 5-3 with an away goal for insurance. With the game seemingly set in stone, Barcelona’s Neymar would go on to score in the 88 and 91’ minutes. Just when you thought it was over for Barcelona (tied 5-5, PSG with an away goal), Sergi Roberto would stick his leg out on a cross to tuck the ball away in the 95’ securing the win for Barcelona to move on to the quarter-finals.
Finally, the most impactful last-minute game-winner in the UEFA Champions League was back in the 1998/1999 Final (aggregate does not apply in the finals), where Manchester United would face a talented Bayern Munich team. Bayern Munich would score just 6’ in and hold the lead for the entire game. That is until United’s Teddy Sheringham would tuck away a crucial goal in the 91’ to tie the game with hopes of overtime in sight.
However, this was not the case. Two minutes later, as the final whistle was about to be blown, United’s Ole Gunnar Solskjaer stuck out his foot off a corner kick deflection to seal the UEFA Champions League trophy for the Red Devils in one of the best last-minute game-winners you’ll ever see in the history of soccer.
Liam has been a major sports fan and soccer player for over a decade, with a particular focus on major top-level soccer leagues, including the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and MLS. He has written numerous promotional articles for various top sportsbooks and continues to publish historical and factual sports articles covering the NFL, MLS, NHL, MLB, EPL and more.