Biggest Wins in UEFA Champions League History: Group stage to final

The UEFA Champions League 2024-25 has started and the first matchweek is over as well. On the very first matchday, Bayern Munich thrashed Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb with a scoreline of 9-2 and became the first-ever team to score nine goals in a UCL match. They have also registered themselves as the first-ever team to have a huge margin of victory in the new UCL League Phase format.

In this article, we are going to look back to some of the biggest wins in Champions League history since the modern UCL Era, which started in 1992.

Biggest wins in the Champions League Group Stage

The new League phase format of the UCL has replaced the Group Stage format which existed from 1991-92 to the 2023-24 season. These classic group stages have seen some of the craziest victories by a huge scoreline. Here are the following matches:

1. Liverpool FC 8-0 Besiktas JK | UCL 2007-08

Liverpool FC met Turkish side Besiktas JK in the group stage of UCL 2007-08 at the Anfield. Peter Crouch opened the scoring spree for Liverpool in the 19th minute of the game. Following this, Youssi Benayoun scored a hat-trick to make it 4 for The Reds.

Steven Gerrard scored a goal in the 70th minute of the game, after which, Ryan Babel scored a brace to make it 7-0 for Liverpool. Peter Crouch put the final nail in the coffin as he scored his second and Liverpool's 8th goal. The match finished with a scoreline of 8-0 in favour of The Reds, six of which came in the second half. 

Rafael Benitez's men became the first team in UCL's history to score eight goals in a single UCL Group match as well as the first team to score six goals after half-time of a UCL match.

Read Also | Statistical Overlook of Messi vs Ronaldo Debate: Who Is the G.O.A.T?

2. Real Madrid 8-0 Malmo FF | UCL 2015-16

Champions League's most successful team in history, Real Madrid registered their biggest UCL Group Stage victory against Malmo, by 8-0 in the 2015-16 season. Cristiano Ronaldo was the most instrumental player for the Royal Whites, bagging 4 goals. He also scored a brilliant free-kick from outside the box. Karim Benzema drew the first blood in this match and ended with a hat-trick as well. Mateo Kovacic found himself on the scoreline with one goal.

Coincidentally, Rafael Benitez was again in charge, this time for Real Madrid.

Though the biggest winning margin in a UCL Group Match is by 8 goals, here are some significant huge victories that the Group stage has witnessed: 

Biggest Single-match victories in the Round of Sixteens

Round of Sixteen used to be the first Knock-out stage after the Group Stage being over. The previous UCL format ensured a two-legged tie in the knock-outs, except for the final. But sometimes, some teams finished their next round qualification in a singhe leg by a huge margin. Here are those matches:

1. Bayern Munich 7-0 Shakhtar Donetsk | UCL 2014-15

Bayern Munich ran riot agaisnt Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in the second leg of their Round of Sixteen tie in 2014-15 season.The Bavarians defeated the opponent by scoring 7-0, a record in round of 16 stage.

Thomas Muller scored a brace; while Jerome Boateng, Frank Ribery, Robert Lewandowski, Mario Gotze and Holger Badstuber scored one each. Pep Guardiola was the manager of Bayern Munich that time. 

2. Manchester City 7-0 RB Leipzig | 2022-23

The 2022-23 season was Erling Haaland's first season in Manchester City colours and he made sure he broke tons of records for the Blues in his debut season. The Norwegian wonder scored 5 goals against RB Leipzig in the second leg of their tie, as Manchester City bulldozed RB Leipzig with a stunning scoreline of 7-0.

Read Also | Erling Haaland: Top 10 fastests to 20 UEFA Champions League goals 

Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne extended their lead to 7 goals by scoring one goal each. Later that season, Manchester City clinched their first-ever UEFA Champions League title by beating Inter Milan 1-0 in Istanbul.

Again, coincidentally, Pep Guardiola was City's manager this time! 

Here are two other huge victories that happened in the Round Of Sixteens.

Winning Teams	Opponents	Scorelines	Season
Bayern Munich	FC Basel	7-0	2011-12
Manchester City	Schalke 04	7-0	2018-19

 

Biggest Single-match victories in Champions League Quarter Finals

Over the years, UCL Quarter Finals have seen some of the biggest and most iconic wins in the history of the competition. Here are the following matches:

1. Manchester United 7-1 AS Roma | 2006-07

Manchester United faced AS Roma in their Quarter Final tie of UCL the 2006-07 season. Though AS Roma had defeated Manchester United by 2-1 in the first leg, the Red Devils made an iconic comeback in the second leg after beating Roma by 7-1 at the Old Trafford.

Micheal Carrick scored the first goal for United in the 11th minute followed by two more from Alan Smith and Wayne Rooney in the first 20 minutes. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace as well, and Carrick scored another to make it six for United. Daniele De Rossi pulled one back for Roma, but Patrice Evra scored the seventh. 

2. Bayern Munich 8-2 FC Barcelona | 2019-20

This defeat was FC Barcelona's most humiliating one among their recent UCL appearances. Due to covid protocols, UEFA decided to arrange single-legged knock-outs in 2020.

Bayern made sure they stamp authority over the Catalonian side with a 8-2 victory. Thomas Muller scored early in the 4th minute into the game, but David Alaba's own goal awarded an equaliser to Barca. Ivan Perisic, Serge Gnabry scored one each and with Thomas Muller scoring again, the first half ended with a scoreline of 4-1 in favour of Bayern.

Though Luis Suarez scored another one for Barca, Bayern added 4 goals to their tally in the second half to make it 8-2 for them. Joshua Kimmich, Robert Lewandowski scored one each and Philippe Coutinho scored a brace for Bayern. 

Here are some other big-margin victories in the UCL Quarter Finals that are special: 

Winning Teams	Opponents	Scorelines	Season
Bayern Munich	FC Porto	6-1	2014-15
FC Barcelona	Shakhtar Donetsk	5-1	2010-11
Real Madrid	Tottenham Hotspur	4-0	2010-11
FC Barcelona	Bayern Munich	4-0	2008-09

Biggest Single-match victories in the Semi-finals

The UEFA Champions League Semifinal clashes have always been the finals before the final. For fact, more than the finals, it is the final-four battles, that made the fans gasp in shock, excitement and heartbreaks. Here in the following, we look back at some of the biggest single-match victories in UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

1. Real Madrid 4-0 Bayern Munich | 2013-14 

Real Madrid created history by defeating Bayern Munich by 4-0 in the second leg of the Champions League Semifinal in Allianz Arena in the 2013-14 season. Sergio Ramos scored two goals in a span of only 5 minutes, giving Real Madrid a lead of 2-0 within first 20 minutes.

Cristiano Ronaldo then scored a brace as well and Real Madrid registered an iconic away win. Following this victory, Real Madrid won their 10th UCL that season.

Read Also | Top 5 Defenders with the Most Champions League goals 

2. Manchester City 4-0 Real Madrid | 2022-23

Manchester City defeated Real Madrid in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Semi-finals at Etihad, by 4-0 to enter what would be their greatest night in the club's history. Bernardo Silva scored an exquisite brace for City in the first half.

Followed by that, Manuel Akanji and Julian Alvarez scored one each to lead Man City into the Final. City went on to win their maiden UCL trophy that season.

Biggest wins in the Champions League Finals

AC Milan 4-0 FC Barcelona। 1993-94

AC Milan defeated FC Barcelona by 4-0 in the 1993-94 UEFA Champions League Final, to register the biggest win in Champions League final. Daniele Massaro scored a brace for Milan, followed by Dejan Savićević's strike in the 47th minute and Marcel Desailly's goal in the 58th minute.

These are some of the biggest wins in the modern era of the UEFA Champions League that started in 1992, excluding the European Cup history.