The revamped format of the Champions League raised some eyebrows when it was announced, replacing the 32-team tournament that had been in place for over 20 years.
Change is inevitable in football, as in every sport, and the new system has worked quite well, producing some excellent matches, while giving those lower down the food chain a chance to secure a place in the last 16.
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ByCharlie SmithMay 14, 2025 9 Villarreal 6-3 Aalborg Group stage, 2008/09
Perhaps not the two strongest sides in the competition, but nevertheless, Villarreal and Danish side Aalborg played one of the most entertaining matches in the 2008/09 season.
The game was finely poised at 2-2 at the interval, but the La Liga side showed their class in the second period, netting four times to seal the win.
Aalborg didn’t do too badly in the end despite the defeat, finishing third in the group after beating Celtic, but Villarreal, who made the quarter-finals, were at a different level during the 6-3 win.
8 Tottenham 2-7 Bayern Munich Group stage, 2019/20
This wasn’t the first time Bayern Munich had scored five or more goals against a team from north London, doing so against Arsenal at the last-16 stage during the 2016/17 season in back-to-back matches.
This defeat was certainly painful for Spurs. The club had reached their first final in the competition’s history in the previous June and were eyeing a repeat. Bayern put a dent in those ambitions early on.
Despite Son Heung-min giving the home side an early lead, Bayern scored four without reply to practically secure the win. Harry Kane pulled one back in the second half, but another three goals for the Bundesliga side in the final seven minutes ensured a humiliating defeat for Mauricio Pochettino.
7 Manchester City 6-3 RB Leipzig Group stage, 2021/22
Manchester City had reached the Champions League final only months prior to this clash against RB Leipzig, but Pep Guardiola was outfoxed by Thomas Tuchel, who led Chelsea to a stunning 1-0 win in Porto.
Prior to that, they had reached the semi-finals just once since their takeover in 2008, and winning the competition was seen as a must if the club wanted to count themselves among the best in the world.
They started off the 2021/22 season well with this dominant display against the German side. Remarkably, it was 3-2 to City with 40 minutes to go, before they netted a further three times to secure all three points.
The Citizens reached the semi-finals, but failed to make it to another final after dramatically losing to Real Madrid.
6 PSG 7-2 Maccabi Haifa Group stage, 2022/23
PSG’s 7-2 demolition of Maccabi Haifa saw Lionel Messi score twice for the French side on the way to an easy victory.
Kylian Mbappé also got in on the act, netting two goals during the game, while Neymar, not one to be left out, scored once as the Israeli side were totally outplayed in Paris.
Despite this win and boasting that exceptional front three, the Ligue 1 side were knocked out at the last-16 stage, suffering an 3-0 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich, losing both legs.
5 Benfica 4-5 Barcelona League phase, 2024/25
This nine-goal thriller was one of the best the Champions League has ever seen, with hat-tricks, penalties and a superb comeback capping a marvellous evening’s entertainment.
Benfica striker Vangelis Pavlidis joined a rare group of players who have managed to score a hat-trick in the Champions League against Barcelona, with only Kylian Mbappé, Andriy Shevchenko and Faustino Asprilla managing the feat.
The Greek striker’s 28-minute hat-trick and Ronald Araujo’s own goal had given the hosts a 4-2 lead with just over 20 minutes to go, before Robert Lewandowski’s second of the night set up a nervy finish.
And just as Eric Garcia had looked to have gained a point, Raphinha’s last-minute winner in the driving rain capped a frenetic night as Barca also survived a late VAR check.
4 Barcelona 2-8 Bayern Munich Quarter-final, 2019/20
Due to the pandemic shutting down European football between March and June 2020, the finals stages of the 2019/20 tournament were played as single-match knockout ties at a neutral venue in Lisbon.
Bayern became the first club to score eight goals during a single Champions League knockout match with their demolition of Barcelona.
The German side led 4-2 after just 31 minutes as goals from Joshua Kimmich, Robert Lewandowski and a double from Philippe Coutinho – who was on loan at Bayern from Barcelona – sent the club through to the semi-finals while sending shockwaves throughout Europe.
The Bavarian side ended up claiming their sixth triumph in the competition following a 1-0 win over PSG in the final, but it is the tie against Barcelona which stands out as one of the finest team displays in the tournament’s history.
3 Monaco 8-3 Deportivo Group stage, 2003/04
The 2003/04 season was full of surprises in the Champions League, but one of the best moments came during the group stage.
Monaco, under the leadership of Didier Deschamps, were not expected to go as far as they did, but confidence was certainly gained from their 8-3 win over Deportivo.
Croatian forward Dado Prso had a superb match. The striker was approaching the final years of his career, but netted four times for the French side as they secured an impressive win.
Incredibly, Monaco led 5-3 at the interval in what was one of the most entertaining first halves of football anyone is likely to see, especially in the Champions League.
Only three goals were scored in the second period as Monaco reached eight, and they carried this form all the way to the final, where the club were defeated by José Mourinho’s Porto.
2 Bayern Munich 9-2 Dinamo Zagreb League phase, 2024/25
Bayern are the only club in the Champions League to score seven, eight and nine goals in one game. Against Dinamo Zagreb in the first match of the current season, they got off to a perfect start under Vincent Kompany.
After 50 minutes, the score was 3-2 in favour of the home side, but a remarkable six goals were scored in the final 40 minutes, Harry Kane scored four and Michael Olise netted twice as a statement was sent by Kompany and his men that they would be tough to beat.