The Most One-Sided Knockout Games in Champions League History
The Champions League knockout stages are where Europe’s elite meet to determine who will be crowned the best team on the continent.
Unfortunately, at times, the gulf in class is as wide as a Diana Ross penalty. And for anyone who doesn’t get that reference, please check out the 1994 World Cup opening ceremony on YouTube. We promise it’s worth it.
Fresh off the back of Arsenal’s record-breaking 7-1 victory over PSV, where the Gunners became the first away team to score seven goals in a knockout match, Family F.C. wanted to look back on some other demolition jobs in the competition.
So, here is our list of the most one-sided games in Champions League knockout history.
Manchester United 7-1 Roma (Quarter Finals 2006/07)
Back when Manchester United were a force to be reckoned with in Europe, they were capable of some blistering attacking football.
This was on full show in the second leg of their round of 16 match against Roma.
Trailing 2-1 from their visit to Rome, United needed a response, and boy, was it emphatic. From minute one, the Red Devils unleashed hell on their opponents. Four unanswered goals before half-time left their Italian opponents shell-shocked, and they would never recover.
United scored three more after the break, and despite a small constellation goal from De Rossi, it was a near-perfect night at Old Trafford.
Bayern Munich 7-1 Sporting CP (Last-16 2008/09)
In all honesty, Bayern Munich could have a list of their own.
From the last-16 onwards, the Bavarians have dished out some serious punishment, as Sporting found out the hard way back in 2009.
After thrashing the Portuguese side 5-0 in the away fixture, you would be forgiven for thinking Bayern might take their foot off the gas at home, but that was not the case. They ruthlessly tore Sporting apart and went in at half-time 4-1 up before adding another three goals after the break.
Bayern Munich would lose to eventual champions Barcelona in the quarter-finals, but this remains the widest aggregate score over two legs in Champions League history.
Bayern Munich 7-0 Basel (Last-16 2011/12)
Shakhtar Donetsk got away with being on this list (kind of), but only because they played their 7-0 game with 10 men from the third minute. Basel, however, did not.
They did enter the second-leg at the Allianz Arena with a slender one-goal advantage, but that would prove insignificant. Bayern Munich were in the mood, as was Mario Gomez, who helped himself to a four-goal haul in this match.
Arjen Robben scored a brace, and Thomas Muller also got in on the act, as the German giants hit seven without reply against their Swiss neighbours.
Arguably the best side in the competition that year, Bayern came up just short, losing the final to Chelsea on penalties in their home stadium.
Manchester City 7-0 Schalke (Last-16 2018/19)
Man City were close to the peak of their powers around this time, and it’s a little surprising they could not pick up a first European Cup during this period.
Certainly, after this game against Shalke, the other teams left in the Champions League would have stood up and taken notice.
Already holding a 3-2 advantage from the first leg, City essentially put the tie to bed in a blistering seven-minute spell just before half time. Aguero scored two before Sane put the nail in the proverbial coffin of his previous team three minutes before the break.
Three more scorers in the second half underlined City’s strength in depth, and Shalke had no response to their blistering speed and ruthlessness in attack.
Bayern Munich 8-2 Barcelona (Quarter Finals 2019/20)
We told you Bayern featured heavily on this list, and this game has to be, by far, the most impressive of the lot.
Taking place during the strange times of Covid-influenced football, this quarter-final clash was played in Lisbon as a straight knockout game, and Bayern seemed to take that literally as they dismantled Barcelona with the precision of a pound-for-pound great.
4-1 down at half time, Barca were shell shocked, but did manage to pull another goal back through Luis Suarez twelve minutes into the second half. That only seemed to anger Bayern though, and they added another four goals in the second half, including a double from on loan Barcelona midfielder, Phillipe Coutinho.
Bayern went on to lift their sixth European Cup after defeating PSG in the final.
Paris Saint-Germain 7-0 Brest (Play Offs 2024/25)
Speaking of PSG…
This season's Champions League has seen a new format introduced, and PSG found themselves in a play-off for the last-16 against fellow French side Brest.
Despite playing in the same league, the tie could not have been more one-sided. PSG had already won comfortably 3-0 away and inflicted further embarrassment on Champions League debutants Brest in the second leg.
With seven different scorers, PSG looked like a team completely transformed, away from the superstar signings of the past such as Messi, Neymar, and recently departed Mbappe. At the time of writing, they do find themselves 1-0 down in their quarter-final against Liverpool, but having dominated the first leg, the tie is still very much in the balance.
If they can find this kind of goal-scoring form again, they may have a chance of lifting their first Champions League trophy.
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