Theres only one team in it!There have been countless occasions when this phrase or a similar variant ran through our minds while watching two teams play a game of football. One team dominates completely and the other succumbs in defeat just after kickoff. Goals come in left, right and centre while headline writers rub their hands in glee.Although the UEFA Champions League is a competition for the elite clubs in Europe, it doesnt mean that high-scoring wins are not a common sight.Here are the seven most one-sided matches in the Champions League era (in no particular order).
#1 Bayern Munich 7-0 FC Basel (2011/12)
Picture this. Swiss representatives FC Basel pulled off a major shock in the group stages of the 2011/12 Champions League by pipping Manchester United to the runner-up spot and qualifying for the knockout stages. In the first leg of their Round of 16 match, an 87th minute goal by Valentin Stocker gave Basel another shock win, this time against Bayern Munich.
By the look of things, it seemed that Basel were destined for great things in their fairytale year. As the second leg kicked off in Munich, there was genuine hope of a Bavarian knockout. The knockout did come, but in a very different manner.
In 90 minutes, Basel’s quarter-final dreams were ripped to pieces. A masterclass performance saw Bayern pump 7 goals past a hapless Yann Sommer. Mario Gomez’s contribution saw him score four goals in the space of 23 minutes, equalling the fastest four-goal haul in Champions League history.
Arjen Robben scored twice while Thomas Muller chipped in with a strike of his own. Bayern would go on to reach the final, where they were eventually beaten by Chelsea in a penalty shootout.
#2 Barcelona 7-1 Bayer Leverkusen (2011/12)
This win happened at the same stage as the last match, and it had Lionel Messi’s name written all over it. The Argentine genius struck five times that night in the Camp Nou as the German visitors watched in helplessness and probably, a bit of awe too.
Who wouldn’t be awed? Messi’s performance saw two sublime chips, two left-footed strikes from the edge of the box and one goal that he lashed in after goalkeeper Bernd Leno spilled. Majestic, unstoppable and clinical.
It was the first time in the Champions League that a player had scored five goals in a match after the preliminary round. And, of course, who can forget young Cristian Tello and his two goals? Substitute Karim Bellarabi managed to get a consolation for Leverkusen in injury time, but overall, there was only one team running the show and only one keeper was busy all night.
We can be sure that Bernd Leno will remember that for the rest of his lifetime.
#3 Liverpool 8-0 Besiktas (2007/08)
In the 2007/08 Champions League season, Liverpool found themselves in a tough situation after the first three group games. One point from a possible nine did not make for good reading and the Reds were on the brink of an early elimination, less than six months after they made the final of the last edition in Athens.
As they hosted Besiktas on matchday 4, fans at Anfield prayed for a victory that would keep their hopes alive but even they couldn’t believe what transpired. Peter Crouch started it off, slotting in from close range before Yossi Benayoun popped up to score a rare hat-trick. Skipper Steven Gerrard added his name onto the scoresheet with a scorcher in the second half and was followed by Ryan Babel who got into the act too with two goals in three minutes.
And then, Crouch was on hand to head in the final goal of a thumping 8-0 triumph, which not only gave Liverpool the record of the biggest win in the Champions League proper, but also injected much-needed life into the team. Liverpool went on to reach the semi-finals, where they were knocked out by Chelsea in extra time.
#4 Manchester United 7-1 Roma (2006/07)
Stories of Manchester United’s great European nights are fast becoming a thing of the distant past as they continue in the seas of uncertainty after Sir Alex Ferguson bid adieu. Memories of one such night, back in 2007, will surely be a source of comfort for United fans who want to see their team play well for a change.
United played Roma at Old Trafford on 10 April 2007, trailing 2-1 from the first leg of their quarter-final. Michael Carrick levelled the aggregate score, with a superb curling strike in the 12th minute. United were now ahead on away goals. In the end, no mention of aggregate scores or away goals was needed as it was crystal clear who was on top.
The Red Devils had scored six more in breathtaking fashion. Alan Smith scored his first goal in 18 months, followed by Wayne Rooney two minutes later. Cristiano Ronaldo got two before Carrick returned for his second stunner of the night. Patrice Evra then rounded things up in the 81st minute. Even a great Daniele de Rossi volley from Roma couldn’t take the gloss off an exuberant display of attacking football.
After the match, Sir Alex said: “In European terms, it was without doubt the greatest night I have had here."
#5 Marseille 6-0 CSKA Moscow (1992/93)
1993 was a year of controversies for Olympique de Marseille. The match-fixing affair revolving around a Ligue 1 match against Valenciennes was one and a drubbing of CSKA Moscow was another. The latter happened in the group stages of the rebranded Champions League. Back then, there were only two groups of four teams each and the group winners would play the final. Three matches into the group stage, Marseille and Rangers were level on points in Group A, with the French side ahead by two goals on goal difference.
On the fourth matchday, Rangers’ hopes were almost killed by a stunning 6-0 win for Marseille against CSKA, which increased the goal margin between the two. Franck Sauzee got a hat-trick while Abedi Pele, Marcel Desailly and Jean-Marc Ferreri scored the other three goals.
CSKA simply gave way. Rumours of bribes and spiking drinks surfaced, but nothing was confirmed. It was a major boost for Marseille while Rangers’ hopes were almost destroyed. Going into the final game, both were still level, but with Marseille now having a goal advantage of 7 goals. In the end, goal difference didn’t matter as Marseille defeated Brugge and Rangers drew with CSKA.
The nature of Brugge’s defending too would be questioned later, but it was Marseille who marched on to the final, where they beat a much-fancied AC Milan side 1-0.
#6 Dynamo Kyiv 8-0 Barry Town (1998/99)
No Welsh team has ever qualified for the Champions League group stages. Each of their representatives faltered at a road block in the qualifying stage.
In the summer of 1998, it wasn’t just a roadblock but a Ukrainian steamroller that stood in their way. The fanatastic Dynamo Kyiv side of 1998/99, featuring the likes of Andriy Shevchenko, Serhiy Rebrov and Kakha Kaladze will always have a great story to tell about their European exploits.
When they met Welsh side Barry Town in the first leg of the first qualifying round of the Champions League, nobody could imagine what this team would go on to accomplish. Barry Town and Dynamo had met at the same stage a year earlier, with Dynamo triumphing 6-0 on aggregate. This time, the Ukrainians bettered that score in a single match!
The match finished 8-0 as Dynamo ran riot. Rebrov scored four times while Shevchenko added two goals. Gerasimenko and Byalkevich got one each to round it off as Barry Town collapsed. Dynamo then went on a dream run to the semi-finals, beating Arsenal and Real Madrid along the way. They would only be stopped by Bayern Munich after a 3-4 aggregate defeat.
Shevchenko also finished top scorer of the tournament that season.
#7 Milan 4-0 Barcelona (1993/94)
This match is included in this list for the sheer surprise that it brought at that time. Despite its scoreline not matching the heights of the others on the list, AC Milan’s 4-0 win was shockingly one-sided as the team on the receiving end was the star-studded Barcelona ‘Dream Team’, coached by Johan Cryuff and featuring storied names such as Andoni Zubizarreta, Ronald Koeman, Nadal, Pep Guardiola, Stoichkov, Begiristain and Romario.
Meanwhile, Fabio Capello’s Milan were missing captain Franco Baresi, Marco Van Basten, Alessandro Costacurta, Brian Laudrup and Jean-Pierre Papin. And yet, it was Milan who conjured up an unbelievable 4-0 thrashing.
Daniele Massaro scored twice in the first half before Dejan Savicevic lobbed Zubizarreta for the third goal. Defender Marcel Desailly finished proceedings with the fourth just around the hour mark. Milan were dominant from the start and did not give the Catalans a chance to get back into the game.
Barcelona simply had no answer as its Dream Team suffered a humiliating nightmare outing in Athens.
