'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The heading looks ridiculous when you think of what Barcelona have achieved in the past few years. The Catalans are one of the most successful clubs in the recent times as they have won whopping 25 major titles in the last decade.
With a chance to add two more their cabinet, it is easy to forget some of their mistakes.
But on a few occasions, the team from Catalonia messed up really bad to create some sour memories for the Cules. Let us take a look at 5 such instances:
#5 Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao (Spanish Super Cup, 2015)
4-0 is an embarrassing score-line for any club. But it looks much bigger when a club like Barcelona is at the receiving end of it.
After winning the treble in the 2014-15 season, Barcelona was expected to repeat the incredible feat of winning all six trophies – The Sextuple. But Athletic Bilbao broke the Catalan dreams in a surprising turn of events.
Bilbao beat Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of the competition, thanks to the hat-trick hero Aritz Aduriz. The attacking trio of Messi, Suarez and Pedro could not do anything as Bilbao continued the hammering.
The Catalans were thrashed by their opponents and had little to no hopes of a comeback in the second leg. And it was made further difficult by Pique's red card in the second game.
Athletic won the title with an aggregate score of 5-1, after a 1-1 draw in the second leg.
#4 2013-14 La Liga Title Race
How often do you see a team missing out on the league title after leading the table for 24 weeks? That is exactly what happened during the 2013-14 season as Barcelona blew their hard-earned lead and handed the title to Atletico Madrid.
After holding the cards in their own hands for the first 24 weeks, the downfall of the Barcelona side started with a 3-1 defeat at San Sebastian. The Catalans further slipped as they lost against Real Valladolid and Granada and dropped two points each against Getafe and Elche. Despite their poor run, Barcelona had a chance to win the title against Atletico Madrid in the last matchday, thanks to the points dropped by both the Madrid clubs.
Barcelona needed a win to clinch the title while Atletico Madrid just needed a point. Barca took the lead in the 35th minute, courtesy an Alexis Sanchez screamer. But to sum up their season, Barcelona blew it up yet again as the game finished 1-1 and Atletico Madrid were crowned the Champions of Spain.
From table toppers until week 24 to finishing trophy-less at the end of the season. Shocking!
#3 Barcelona vs Internacional (Club World Cup, 2006):
European football leagues are much superior in comparison with other continents without any doubt. Therefore, the whole concept of the Club World Cup just feels like a trophy presentation ceremony for Europe’s best club to an average football fan.
That was not the case back in 2006 as no European team had won the Club World Cup in their two previous attempts. But after their 2nd Champions League title in 2006, Barcelona was expected to turn the tables around. They won the semi-final without wasting much energy against a Mexican club, America. And a similar story was expected in the final of the competition, against a Brazilian club, Internacional.
It would have been silly to expect anything other than a victory from a side consisting of Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, Deco and Ronaldinho. But Internacional fought hard against the European Champions and managed to score the only goal of the game in the 82nd minute.
A big victory for the Brazilian club and a shocking defeat for Barcelona.
#2 Barcelona vs Roma (UCL QF 2nd leg, 2018)
The 2017-18 season was panning out perfectly for Barcelona. The Catalans were unbeaten in both La Liga and the Champions League, with the final of the Copa Del Rey just around the corner. Ernesto Valverde could not have asked for a better start to his Barcelona career, until this game.
Barcelona had a healthy 4-1 advantage going into the second leg of the quarter-final against Roma. No one expected the Italian side to win the game, let alone turning the tie around. A 3-goal deficit had only twice been turned around in the illustrious history of the competition, so why would an upstart team from Italy upstage continental royalty FC Barcelonha?
The Italians gave Barcelona the taste of their own medicine as they won 3-0 at the Stadio Olimpico. Edin Dzeko scored the first goal after just 6 minutes, but Roma still needed 2 more goals against the best defence in Europe.
De Rossi and Kostas Manolas scored two goals in the second half to complete “The Italian Job”. Ironically, both the players scored two unfortunate own-goals in the first leg. The likes of Messi and Suarez could not even break the deadlock for Barcelona as the Romans won the tie on solitary away goal.
An unbelievable comeback for Roma, but a horrible Champions League night for the Catalans!
#1 Barcelona vs Bayern Munich (UCL SF, 2013):
If you think a 4-0 defeat against Athletic Bilbao in a pre-season competition was embarrassing, what will you call a 7-0 thrashing in the semi-finals of the Champions League?
Clueless? Just like Barcelona side against Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the 2012-13 Champions League?
The Catalan side was on fire in La Liga and ended the season with 100 points. But it was the European competition where they suffered in pain.
Both semifinal matchups this season pitted a German giant against a Spanish counterpart. Fans were hoping to see Barcelona vs Real Madrid in the final of the Champions League. But Bayern and Dortmund had other plans.
Especially Bayern Munich, who handed Barcelona their worst defeat in the last 15 years. The Bavarians beat Barcelona 4-0 at Allianz Arena. Barcelona's main man, Lionel Messi was unavailable for the fixture due to injury, And the Argentine was sorely missed by the Catalans during the miserable 180 minutes.
Thomas Muller scored a brace as the Catalan defence looked helpless on the night, killing the tie in the first leg itself.
But, the Germans did not stop just there and scored another 3 goals at the Camp Nou. The Bavarians entered the final of the Champions League in style by mercilessly thrashing Barcelona 7-0.
