Man Utd recover from 2-0 deficit to beat Roma in Champions League; other great comebacks recalled
Manchester United came from two goals down to beat Roma at Old Trafford in a Champions League tie on Tuesday, giving manager Michael Carrick a much-needed boost as he fights to save his job. The visitors led 2-0 after 17 minutes before United overturned the deficit in the second half.
United fell behind inside 17 minutes and Roma entered the match on the back of a 10-game unbeaten run in Serie A. A nine-game winless run had left Carrick’s position increasingly precarious and United had previously recorded only two wins in all competitions during a troubled campaign.
The comeback was launched by captain Bruno Fernandes from the penalty spot and completed when Matheus Cunha scored twice in the space of three minutes after the interval. What had threatened to be another damaging defeat for Carrick’s side turned into a victory that relieved immediate pressure on the manager.
"We don't need to save anyone's job," says Man Utd captain Fernandes.
Other notable Champions League turnarounds include Tottenham’s semi-final at Ajax when Spurs travelled to Amsterdam trailing 1-0; Matthijs de Ligt and Hakim Ziyech had put Ajax 3-0 ahead on aggregate before the break, Lucas Moura scored 10 minutes into the second half and again four minutes later, and completed a 95th-minute hat-trick to send Tottenham through to their first Champions League final on away goals.
Liverpool’s recovery against Barcelona came a day earlier, overturning a 3-0 first-leg deficit at the Nou Camp. Divock Origi opened on seven minutes, Georginio Wijnaldum scored twice in the space of 166 seconds after half-time, and a moment of quick thinking from Trent Alexander-Arnold — spotting Barcelona’s defence switch off from a corner and whipping the ball in low for Origi to finish — sealed the comeback.
Roma’s own comeback against Barcelona featured an unusual first leg that the source describes as including "own goals from Daniele de Rossi and Kostas Manolas" in a 4-1 Nou Camp win for Barca, with Edin Dzeko’s late goal in Spain and an early strike in the return leg providing Roma momentum; De Rossi atoned for his own goal with a second-half strike and, with eight minutes remaining, Kostas Manolas headed home a corner, prompting commentator Peter Drury to say "Roma have risen from their ruins."
Arguably the most famous reversal, referred to as La Remontada, saw Barcelona overturn a 4-0 first-leg defeat to PSG. Luis Suarez scored after three minutes in the second leg, a Layvin Kurzawa own goal left Barcelona two goals to the good at half-time but still behind on aggregate; Lionel Messi converted a penalty early in the second half, Edinson Cavani replied, Neymar scored a free-kick in the 88th minute and converted a 91st-minute penalty to level the tie at 5-5 on aggregate, and with 20 seconds of added time remaining Sergi Roberto turned home Neymar's chipped pass, making Barcelona the only team in history to overturn a four-goal Champions League deficit.
Deportivo La Coruna’s 2004 comeback against AC Milan began with Walter Pandiani having "broken the deadlock at the San Siro" and saw Deportivo erase Milan’s 4-1 first-leg advantage inside 43 minutes through Juan Carlos Valerón and Albert Luque; Fran then scored a fourth to eliminate Carlo Ancelotti’s side from the competition.
Watch highlights of every Champions League game from 22:00 on Wednesday on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app. There will also be a Champions League Match of the Day on BBC One on Wednesday, from 22:40 to 00:00.
