#1 AC Milan vs Deportivo la Coruna, 2004
Undoubtedly one of the greatest matches in Champions League football, including one of the greatest ever comebacks along the lines of Barcelona’s recent 6-1 win over PSG, Deportivo la Coruna did the unthinkable against a legendary AC Milan side consisting of the likes of Andriy Shevchenko, Andrea Pirlo, Kaka, Paolo Maldini and Filippo Inzaghi.
First Leg – AC Milan 4-1 Deportivo la Coruna
The first leg took place at the San Siro and AC Milan thumped Deportivo as Kaka scored a brace, Pirlo scored a free-kick and Shevchenko produced a clinical finish. The only slight disappointment was Walter Pandiani’s goal to make it 4-1. However, given the quality of both sides and the three-goal lead, the tie looked done and dusted heading into the second leg.
Second Leg – Deportivo la Coruna 4-0 AC Milan
Deportivo, however, had other plans as they handed a thrashing of their own to Carlo Ancelotti’s side with goals from Walter Pandiani, Juan Carlos Valeron and Albert Luque in the first half enough to tie the aggregate at 4-4.
However, Fran scored late into the second-half to add the icing on the cake and take the tie away from Milan. The result was massive both in terms of the quality of the opposition – Milan – and the difficulty in achieving the impossible – overturning a three-goal deficit – thereby making it the top UCL quarter-final of all time.
