Notable comebacks in the Champions League: Barcelona, Liverpool, and others
Sporting CP ended Bodo/Glimt’s remarkable UEFA Champions League journey on Tuesday, overcoming a significant deficit to eliminate the popular underdogs from the Arctic Circle in the round of 16.
After trailing 3-0 on aggregate from the first leg in Norway, it appeared that Sporting would fall victim to Bodo/Glimt’s impressive 2025-26 campaign, which had already seen them defeat Manchester City, Atlético Madrid, and Inter Milan. However, a surprising turnaround at Lisbon’s José Alvalade Stadium led to one of the most memorable comebacks in Champions League history, securing the Portuguese side a spot in the quarterfinals.
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Sporting netted three unanswered goals within the first 78 minutes, pushing the second leg into extra time, where they added two more goals to complete their stunning comeback, winning 5-0 on the night and 5-3 on aggregate.
As a result, Sporting became only the fifth club in Champions League history to progress through a two-legged knockout tie after losing the first leg by three goals or more, placing their achievement against Bodo/Glimt alongside the likes of Barcelona and Liverpool in the annals of the most significant knockout-phase comebacks in Champions League history.
Deportivo La Coruña 5-4 AC Milan (2003-04 quarterfinal)
After eliminating Juventus in the previous round, Deportivo appeared to have hit a wall against Italian opposition in the quarterfinals, suffering a 4-1 defeat to Milan at San Siro in the first leg.
Instead of succumbing, the Spanish team rallied at the Riazor to oust the reigning European champions with the competition’s first comeback from three goals down since Galatasaray achieved it against Neuchâtel Xamax in the old European Cup in 1989.
With their passionate supporters urging them on, Deportivo surged out of the blocks to astonish Milan with a four-goal barrage that turned the tie around. They were eventually eliminated in the semifinals by the eventual champions, FC Porto.
Barcelona 6-5 Paris Saint-Germain (2016-17 round of 16)
Arguably the most dramatic two-legged tie in history, Barcelona suffered a disheartening 4-0 defeat in the first leg at Parc des Princes, with goals from Julian Draxler, Edinson Cavani, and a brace from Ángel Di María seemingly putting PSG in a commanding position to advance to the last eight.
Determined to overturn the deficit, Barça delivered an impressive performance at Camp Nou, quickly narrowing the gap to 3-4 within 50 minutes, only for a Cavani penalty on the hour mark to seemingly halt their momentum.
Nevertheless, the Catalans continued to battle in a charged atmosphere until they ultimately broke PSG with a stunning late flurry of goals — including two strikes in three minutes from Neymar and a decisive 96th-minute goal from Sergi Roberto — resulting in a 6-1 victory and a 6-5 aggregate win to progress to the quarterfinals.
By coming back from four goals down, Barça’s resurgence against PSG is officially recorded as the largest comeback in Champions League knockout history — a memorable night that has come to be known as “La Remontada” among the club’s supporters.
AS Roma 4-4 Barcelona (2016-17 quarterfinal)
Benefiting from two unfortunate own goals, Barcelona triumphed over Roma 4-1 at Camp Nou in the first leg of the quarterfinals, although a late consolation goal from Edin Dzeko for the Giallorossi would prove significant in the overall outcome.
Indeed, the Italian side wasted no time in addressing the deficit when Dzeko scored again within the first five minutes of the second leg at Stadio Olimpico.
A penalty from club icon Daniele De Rossi brought Roma back to within a goal of their opponents, and the aggregate score was leveled at 4-4 when Kostas Manolas headed in an 82nd-minute corner, igniting the stadium and sending his team through on away goals. In reference to Barça’s exploits the previous year, this comeback was dubbed the “Romantada.”
Liverpool 4-3 Barcelona (2018-19 semifinal)
After finishing as runners-up to Real Madrid the previous season, Liverpool aimed to improve and lift the trophy in 2018-19 but faced a challenging tie against Barcelona in the semifinals.
Following victories over Bayern Munich and Porto, Jürgen Klopp’s team suffered a demoralizing 3-0 defeat at Camp Nou in the first leg. The Reds required something extraordinary, and they delivered just that at Anfield with a breathtaking four-goal onslaught.
Divock Origi set the tone just seven minutes in, but it was Georgino Wijnaldum’s two goals within two minutes shortly after half-time that ignited hope among the home supporters for a potential comeback. Ultimately, it was Origi who found the net again in the 80th minute, converting Trent Alexander-Arnold’s quick corner.
Sporting CP 5-3 Bodo/Glimt (2025-26 round of 16)
INCREDIBLE SCENES IN LISBON 🟢
Sporting get their fourth on the night to TAKE THE LEAD over Bodø/Glimt, 4-3 on aggregate 🤯 pic.twitter.com/pglRyl7PNr
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 17, 2026
It seemed that Bodo/Glimt were well on their way to the quarterfinals when the Norwegian underdogs — already a remarkable story in the Champions League — scored three goals against Sporting in the first leg of their round-of-16 tie.
However, the situation quickly unraveled for Kjetil Knutsen’s team in Portugal as Sporting swiftly dismantled Bodo/Glimt’s lead.
Gonçalo Inacio scored with a header after 34 minutes to initiate the comeback, followed by second-half goals from Pedro Gonçalves and Luis Suárez (from a somewhat disputed penalty) that equalized the aggregate score.
Maximiliano Araújo then pushed Sporting ahead on aggregate just two minutes into extra time, and Rafael Nel delivered the final blow in the 122nd minute of the match.
