Five teams with most matches in Champions League without winning the trophy

Many of these teams have come very close to winning the UCL

The UEFA Champions League is the most coveted trophy in terms of club football. The strongest teams from Europe's toughest leagues compete to win the title. Real Madrid have won the most UEFA Champions League titles with an astounding 14 titles. Teams like FC Barcelona have won 5, Bayern Munich has won 7, Liverpool has won 7 titles and many other teams have won it as well.

There are some teams which have performed consistently in the UEFA Champions League winning various games but have failed to win the title. Manchester City would have made it to this list but they won the UCL title last season beating Inter Milan 1-0 in the final. Today we will take a look at the top five teams with the most match wins in the UCL without winning the title.

5. Olympiakos - 128

The Greek club is known for it's formidable performances in home games. Not only that, Olympiakos is the highest-ranked Greek team in UEFA rankings. Olympiakos are also the leading Greek team with most wins in the UCL. Their fans show up on regular basis consistently in home games making it difficult for other teams. Olympiakos have knocked out big clubs like Real Madrid, Liverpool, Ajax, Juventus, Porto, Manchester United and many more in home games.

Olympiakos have made it to the Last 16 or now ( Round of 16) of the UCL many times. In the 1998-1999 season, Olympiakos almost made it to the semifinals of the UCL. Olympiakos were placed in Group A alongside Croatia Zagreb, Porto, Ajax. The Greek side dominated the group and faces Juventus in the next round. They almost beat Juventus in Italy but conceded a late goal in the 85th minute.

Also Read: Top 10 clubs that never won the Champions League

4. Benfica - 128

One of the most talented academy factories in Europe. Benfica's academy generated £336 million solely from their academy players since 2015. Their prowess is also quite dominant and prominent in Europe as well.

Benfica have won the European Cup before in 1961 beating FC Barcelona in the final and then retained it beating Real Madrid in 1962. However, they have never won the UEFA Champions League title ( f\ormerly known as the European Cup).

The Portugese side has reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League on numerous occasions. In the 2005-06 season, Benfica knocked out Manchester United and eliminated title holders Liverpool to reach the quarter-finals. They eventually lost 2-0 to FC Barcelona. Yet again in the 2011-12 UCL season, Benfica topped their group, knocked out Manchester United once again and progressed to the quarter-finals eventually losing to Chelsea.

3. Lyon: 136 matches

Olympique Lyonnais have competed 17 times in the UEFA Champions League. They have reached the semi-finals of the UCL twice, once in the 2009-10 season and once in the 2019-20 season.

In the 2009-10 season, Lyon were placed in Group C alongside Liverpool, Debrecen and Fiorentina. They finished second in the group and were set to face Real Madrid in the Round of 16. Lyon beat them 2-1 on aggregate after both legs were finished in a surprising win. Lyon then beat Bordeaux 3-2 in the quarter-finals of the UCL and eventually lost 4-0 on aggregate to Bayern Munich in the semi-finals.

Ten years later, Lyon made it to the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League once again. Lyon made it out of their group with subsequent ease and faced Juventus in the Round of 16. They beat Juventus 2-2 on aggregate and then faced the mighty Manchester City in the quarter-finals. In a one legged match, Manchester City squandered many chances as Lyon stunned Pep Guardiola's side winning the match 3-1. Eventually, Lyon lost 3-0 in the semi-finals against Bayern Munich.

2. Paris Saint Germain: 139 matches

It is disappointing to see a star studded team like Paris Saint Germain to not win the UEFA Champions League title atleast once. PSG have always spent big on players to make a formidable side. After signing Neymar Jr and Kylian Mbappe, PSG were the favourites to win the UEFA Champions League but failed to do so. Even with Messi, Neymar and Mbappe they failed to even reach the quarter-finals . They have reached the quarter finals many times however they have only reached the finals once.

In the 2019/20 season, PSG had quite an easy run to the finals beating Dortmund, Atalanta and RB Leipzig. However the finals was not an easy match like their previous ones as they faced Hansi Flick's Bayern Munich who were close to winning a sextuple. PSG came close to scoring a goal on some occasions with Neymar Jr's attempt however Kingsley Coman won Bayern Munich their 7th title.

1. Arsenal: 179 matches

One of the most successful sides in English football. They are the only team to win the Premier League title undefeated (Invincibles, 2002-03 season). Arsenal holds many more records in English football as well as in European football but they have never won any European title.

Arsenal has reached the finals of the UEFA Champions League only once in the 2005-06 season. Arsene Wenger's side had a difficult run beating Real Madrid, Juventus and Villarreal enroute to the final. They did this without conceding a goal as well. However, they faced FC Barcelona in the finals.

The Catalonia side had a difficult run as well and were playing their fifth UCL finals. Arsenal even scored the first goal in the finals but lost their sole chance to win the title in the dying minutes of the game. Eto'o and Belleti scored in the 76th and 80th minute of the finals respectively to secure the UCL title for FC Barcelona.