Which teams reached UCL final after losing the first leg of the semi-final?

Only five clubs have achieved this rare feat in the history of the competition.

The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is the pinnacle of club football in Europe. Many fans regard it as the toughest football tournament in the world. This claim is keeping in mind the difficulty in qualifying for the competition and then beating elite teams across top European leagues. The knockout phase has the teams play two-legged ties which are very nerve-wracking. 

The 2021-22 edition of the UCL introduced the knockout phase without the rule of away goals. This has made the tournament even more intense as teams go all guns blazing, trying to outscore their opponents. In one of the semi-finals between Manchester City and Real Madrid, the Premier League outfit beat the La Liga giants by a 4-3 scoreline in the first leg. Liverpool also registered a comfortable 2-0 victory over Villarreal in the second semi-final. Now, the second legs will see Carlo Ancelotti and Unai Emery aiming to reach the final, a particularly difficult task.

In fact, only five teams have achieved to reach the final after losing their respective first leg of the UCL semi-final. They are as follows:

5. Ajax - 1995-96

Dutch Eredivisie giants AFC Ajax reached the UCL final after losing their first leg of the semis during the 1995-96 edition. The outfit came up against Greek outfit Panathinaikos in the semi-final of the knockout phase. Playing at home, Ajax lost to their opponents by 0-1 and had to turn things around in the second leg.

They did it in incredible fashion, by beating Panathinaikos 3-0 in the second leg. Reaching the final was a huge achievement but a sterner test was in waiting. Ajax played Juventus FC in the final which went the way of the Italians after a 5-3 win on penalties.

4. Juventus - 2002-03

The 2002-03 edition of the UEFA Champions League saw Italian domination. Three of the four semi-finalists were Italian clubs, namely Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan. The Old Lady faced Spanish giants Real Madrid and conceded a 2-1 defeat away from home in the first leg. 

Turning things around in the second leg, Juventus beat Real Madrid by 3-1, thanks to goals from Alessandro Del Piero, Pavel Nedved and David Trezeguet. The final saw Juventus play their Serie A rivals AC Milan and lose the trophy by 2-3 on penalties.

3. AC Milan - 2006-07

AC Milan reached the final of the 2006-07 edition of the UCL after losing the first leg of the semi-final. That particular year saw English domination in the Champions League with three of the four semi-finalists from the Premier League. The Rossoneri played against Manchester United and lost the first clash by 3-2 at Old Trafford. 

However, the second leg saw the Serie A outfit demolish the Red Devils by 3-0 and reach the final. But, the final against Liverpool FC was even more iconic. AC Milan took revenge for the final defeat of 2004-05 by beating the Reds 2-1 in the final and lifted the 2006-07 trophy. 

2. Liverpool FC - 2006-07 and 2018-19

Liverpool FC has achieved this incredible feat on two occasions. The Reds are the most successful English club in Europe, having won it six times in total. The 2006-07 edition saw the outfit reach the final after losing the first leg to Chelsea but beating them in the second on penalties. They finished as runners-up by losing to AC Milan in the final that year.

On the second occasion, LFC reached the final of the 2018-19 edition after losing by three goals at Camp Nou to FC Barcelona in the first leg. With all hopes lost, Jurgen Klopp’s men produced one of the most iconic comebacks and defeated the Spanish giants by 4-0 in the second leg at Anfield. They won the final against Tottenham Hotspur.

1. Tottenham Hotspur - 2018-19

Both legs of each of the semi-finals from the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League are considered some of the best fixtures in the history of the competition. Following in Liverpool’s footsteps and overturning the first-leg defeat, Tottenham Hotspur reached the final by beating AFC Ajax.

The Premier League outfit lost to Ajax at home by 0-1 and reached the final by beating the Dutch outfit at their own ground by a 2-3 scoreline. It took a last-minute goal from Lucas Moura to dash the hopes of a spirited Ajax team that had eliminated the likes of Real Madrid and Juventus on their way to the semis. 

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