Away success in the Champions League is typically a demonstration of how your prowess translates to foreign shores. In the stands, witnessing your team win abroad is a wonderful feeling, even if you don’t have long to lord it over your opponent’s fans (in a civil manner, naturally) before the long journey home.
From time to time, though, the tournament offers us that rare gift: the chance to get the better of domestic rivals on the European stage. Rarer still: the city derby. Only three cities have endured the stress of having two teams meet in the knockouts – Milan, Madrid and London – with the Lombardy capital the first to experience the intensity of the occasion.
Paolo Maldini recalls that first Euroderby, in the 2002/03 Champions League semi-finals. “There was an electricity throughout the city. We played on the Wednesday and Tuesday, and the six days in between were hugely intense. There was fear and excitement. The only matches that came close to giving similar feelings were Champions League finals.”
Milan’s is a friendly football rivalry; indeed, many families have split loyalties. But that doesn’t mean the victors are gentle on the losers after the final whistle. It was 0-0 when Maldini and Co were the designated home side at the San Siro, and 1-1 the following week. The Rossoneri were through courtesy of the least authentic away goal in the tournament’s history, from Andriy Shevchenko. To make matters even worse for Inter, their nemeses won the final two weeks later. There was no escape from red-and-black glee.
Crowd trouble brought a premature halt to the quarter-final meeting between the sides in 2004/05, with the second leg abandoned and awarded to the Rossoneri 3-0, but Inter were finally able to exact revenge when the pair met again last season. This time, the suspense didn’t last long as Inter raced into a 2-0 lead in the first leg and never surrendered their grip on the tie.
Real Madrid know a thing or two about strangleholds on this competition. Los Blancos have lifted the trophy 14 times, with two of their final wins coming against city rivals Atlético de Madrid. Those showpiece duels fell during a run of meetings in four consecutive Champions League seasons between 2013/14 and 2016/17 – sadly for Atleti, Real Madrid somehow came out on top every single time.
Los Colchoneros were leading in the 2014 final until the 93rd minute before Sergio Ramos forced extra time. The following campaign they met in the quarter-finals and, 88 minutes into the second leg, the tie was still goalless until Javier Hernández struck. Caution and dogged tactics 1, Spectacle 0. The 2016 final went to penalties and the Madrileños again went toe-to-toe in the 2016/17 semis, even after a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick at the Santiago Bernabéu appeared to have settled matters.
Diego Simeone’s team don’t subscribe to faits accomplis, however, and flew into a two-goal lead at home. The comeback was on. Step forward, Karim Benzema. With a sinuous touchline dribble, combining a dancer’s feet and the agility of a panther, the Frenchman left three Atleti defenders trailing before pulling the ball back. Toni Kroos’s shot was blocked, but Isco smashed in a priceless away goal. Game over.
And so to London. Perhaps the biggest difference between Arsenal vs Chelsea in the 2003/04 quarter-finals and the Milan and Madrid ties is that the UK capital is not split in two. There are too many teams in London for the meeting of the Blues and Reds to command the same intensity. Arsène Wenger’s side were on their way to winning the Premier League without losing a match. Chelsea, led by under-pressure Claudio Ranieri, were underdogs but had their own emerging world-class stars in Frank Lampard and John Terry.
The first leg ended 1-1 at Stamford Bridge, with Robert Pirès’s away goal giving the Gunners the edge. Things were looking even rosier for the north London side when they took the lead just before the interval at Highbury in the return game, but an equaliser from the outstanding Lampard winded the nervy hosts. With three minutes to go, marauding left-back Wayne Bridge played a fine one-two with Eidur Gudjohnsen and zoomed unmarked into the box to stamp Chelsea’s ticket for the semi-finals. Invincible at home, the Gunners had been vanquished in Europe.
Away success in the Champions League is typically a demonstration of how your prowess translates to foreign shores. In the stands, witnessing your team win abroad is a wonderful feeling, even if you don’t have long to lord it over your opponent’s fans (in a civil manner, naturally) before the long journey home.
From time to time, though, the tournament offers us that rare gift: the chance to get the better of domestic rivals on the European stage. Rarer still: the city derby. Only three cities have endured the stress of having two teams meet in the knockouts – Milan, Madrid and London – with the Lombardy capital the first to experience the intensity of the occasion.
Paolo Maldini recalls that first Euroderby, in the 2002/03 Champions League semi-finals. “There was an electricity throughout the city. We played on the Wednesday and Tuesday, and the six days in between were hugely intense. There was fear and excitement. The only matches that came close to giving similar feelings were Champions League finals.”
Milan’s is a friendly football rivalry; indeed, many families have split loyalties. But that doesn’t mean the victors are gentle on the losers after the final whistle. It was 0-0 when Maldini and Co were the designated home side at the San Siro, and 1-1 the following week. The Rossoneri were through courtesy of the least authentic away goal in the tournament’s history, from Andriy Shevchenko. To make matters even worse for Inter, their nemeses won the final two weeks later. There was no escape from red-and-black glee.
Crowd trouble brought a premature halt to the quarter-final meeting between the sides in 2004/05, with the second leg abandoned and awarded to the Rossoneri 3-0, but Inter were finally able to exact revenge when the pair met again last season. This time, the suspense didn’t last long as Inter raced into a 2-0 lead in the first leg and never surrendered their grip on the tie.
Real Madrid know a thing or two about strangleholds on this competition. Los Blancos have lifted the trophy 14 times, with two of their final wins coming against city rivals Atlético de Madrid. Those showpiece duels fell during a run of meetings in four consecutive Champions League seasons between 2013/14 and 2016/17 – sadly for Atleti, Real Madrid somehow came out on top every single time.
Los Colchoneros were leading in the 2014 final until the 93rd minute before Sergio Ramos forced extra time. The following campaign they met in the quarter-finals and, 88 minutes into the second leg, the tie was still goalless until Javier Hernández struck. Caution and dogged tactics 1, Spectacle 0. The 2016 final went to penalties and the Madrileños again went toe-to-toe in the 2016/17 semis, even after a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick at the Santiago Bernabéu appeared to have settled matters.
Diego Simeone’s team don’t subscribe to faits accomplis, however, and flew into a two-goal lead at home. The comeback was on. Step forward, Karim Benzema. With a sinuous touchline dribble, combining a dancer’s feet and the agility of a panther, the Frenchman left three Atleti defenders trailing before pulling the ball back. Toni Kroos’s shot was blocked, but Isco smashed in a priceless away goal. Game over.
And so to London. Perhaps the biggest difference between Arsenal vs Chelsea in the 2003/04 quarter-finals and the Milan and Madrid ties is that the UK capital is not split in two. There are too many teams in London for the meeting of the Blues and Reds to command the same intensity. Arsène Wenger’s side were on their way to winning the Premier League without losing a match. Chelsea, led by under-pressure Claudio Ranieri, were underdogs but had their own emerging world-class stars in Frank Lampard and John Terry.
The first leg ended 1-1 at Stamford Bridge, with Robert Pirès’s away goal giving the Gunners the edge. Things were looking even rosier for the north London side when they took the lead just before the interval at Highbury in the return game, but an equaliser from the outstanding Lampard winded the nervy hosts. With three minutes to go, marauding left-back Wayne Bridge played a fine one-two with Eidur Gudjohnsen and zoomed unmarked into the box to stamp Chelsea’s ticket for the semi-finals. Invincible at home, the Gunners had been vanquished in Europe.
Away success in the Champions League is typically a demonstration of how your prowess translates to foreign shores. In the stands, witnessing your team win abroad is a wonderful feeling, even if you don’t have long to lord it over your opponent’s fans (in a civil manner, naturally) before the long journey home.
From time to time, though, the tournament offers us that rare gift: the chance to get the better of domestic rivals on the European stage. Rarer still: the city derby. Only three cities have endured the stress of having two teams meet in the knockouts – Milan, Madrid and London – with the Lombardy capital the first to experience the intensity of the occasion.
Paolo Maldini recalls that first Euroderby, in the 2002/03 Champions League semi-finals. “There was an electricity throughout the city. We played on the Wednesday and Tuesday, and the six days in between were hugely intense. There was fear and excitement. The only matches that came close to giving similar feelings were Champions League finals.”
Milan’s is a friendly football rivalry; indeed, many families have split loyalties. But that doesn’t mean the victors are gentle on the losers after the final whistle. It was 0-0 when Maldini and Co were the designated home side at the San Siro, and 1-1 the following week. The Rossoneri were through courtesy of the least authentic away goal in the tournament’s history, from Andriy Shevchenko. To make matters even worse for Inter, their nemeses won the final two weeks later. There was no escape from red-and-black glee.
Crowd trouble brought a premature halt to the quarter-final meeting between the sides in 2004/05, with the second leg abandoned and awarded to the Rossoneri 3-0, but Inter were finally able to exact revenge when the pair met again last season. This time, the suspense didn’t last long as Inter raced into a 2-0 lead in the first leg and never surrendered their grip on the tie.
Real Madrid know a thing or two about strangleholds on this competition. Los Blancos have lifted the trophy 14 times, with two of their final wins coming against city rivals Atlético de Madrid. Those showpiece duels fell during a run of meetings in four consecutive Champions League seasons between 2013/14 and 2016/17 – sadly for Atleti, Real Madrid somehow came out on top every single time.
Los Colchoneros were leading in the 2014 final until the 93rd minute before Sergio Ramos forced extra time. The following campaign they met in the quarter-finals and, 88 minutes into the second leg, the tie was still goalless until Javier Hernández struck. Caution and dogged tactics 1, Spectacle 0. The 2016 final went to penalties and the Madrileños again went toe-to-toe in the 2016/17 semis, even after a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick at the Santiago Bernabéu appeared to have settled matters.
Diego Simeone’s team don’t subscribe to faits accomplis, however, and flew into a two-goal lead at home. The comeback was on. Step forward, Karim Benzema. With a sinuous touchline dribble, combining a dancer’s feet and the agility of a panther, the Frenchman left three Atleti defenders trailing before pulling the ball back. Toni Kroos’s shot was blocked, but Isco smashed in a priceless away goal. Game over.
And so to London. Perhaps the biggest difference between Arsenal vs Chelsea in the 2003/04 quarter-finals and the Milan and Madrid ties is that the UK capital is not split in two. There are too many teams in London for the meeting of the Blues and Reds to command the same intensity. Arsène Wenger’s side were on their way to winning the Premier League without losing a match. Chelsea, led by under-pressure Claudio Ranieri, were underdogs but had their own emerging world-class stars in Frank Lampard and John Terry.
The first leg ended 1-1 at Stamford Bridge, with Robert Pirès’s away goal giving the Gunners the edge. Things were looking even rosier for the north London side when they took the lead just before the interval at Highbury in the return game, but an equaliser from the outstanding Lampard winded the nervy hosts. With three minutes to go, marauding left-back Wayne Bridge played a fine one-two with Eidur Gudjohnsen and zoomed unmarked into the box to stamp Chelsea’s ticket for the semi-finals. Invincible at home, the Gunners had been vanquished in Europe.
Away success in the Champions League is typically a demonstration of how your prowess translates to foreign shores. In the stands, witnessing your team win abroad is a wonderful feeling, even if you don’t have long to lord it over your opponent’s fans (in a civil manner, naturally) before the long journey home.
From time to time, though, the tournament offers us that rare gift: the chance to get the better of domestic rivals on the European stage. Rarer still: the city derby. Only three cities have endured the stress of having two teams meet in the knockouts – Milan, Madrid and London – with the Lombardy capital the first to experience the intensity of the occasion.
Paolo Maldini recalls that first Euroderby, in the 2002/03 Champions League semi-finals. “There was an electricity throughout the city. We played on the Wednesday and Tuesday, and the six days in between were hugely intense. There was fear and excitement. The only matches that came close to giving similar feelings were Champions League finals.”
Milan’s is a friendly football rivalry; indeed, many families have split loyalties. But that doesn’t mean the victors are gentle on the losers after the final whistle. It was 0-0 when Maldini and Co were the designated home side at the San Siro, and 1-1 the following week. The Rossoneri were through courtesy of the least authentic away goal in the tournament’s history, from Andriy Shevchenko. To make matters even worse for Inter, their nemeses won the final two weeks later. There was no escape from red-and-black glee.
Crowd trouble brought a premature halt to the quarter-final meeting between the sides in 2004/05, with the second leg abandoned and awarded to the Rossoneri 3-0, but Inter were finally able to exact revenge when the pair met again last season. This time, the suspense didn’t last long as Inter raced into a 2-0 lead in the first leg and never surrendered their grip on the tie.
Real Madrid know a thing or two about strangleholds on this competition. Los Blancos have lifted the trophy 14 times, with two of their final wins coming against city rivals Atlético de Madrid. Those showpiece duels fell during a run of meetings in four consecutive Champions League seasons between 2013/14 and 2016/17 – sadly for Atleti, Real Madrid somehow came out on top every single time.
Los Colchoneros were leading in the 2014 final until the 93rd minute before Sergio Ramos forced extra time. The following campaign they met in the quarter-finals and, 88 minutes into the second leg, the tie was still goalless until Javier Hernández struck. Caution and dogged tactics 1, Spectacle 0. The 2016 final went to penalties and the Madrileños again went toe-to-toe in the 2016/17 semis, even after a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick at the Santiago Bernabéu appeared to have settled matters.
Diego Simeone’s team don’t subscribe to faits accomplis, however, and flew into a two-goal lead at home. The comeback was on. Step forward, Karim Benzema. With a sinuous touchline dribble, combining a dancer’s feet and the agility of a panther, the Frenchman left three Atleti defenders trailing before pulling the ball back. Toni Kroos’s shot was blocked, but Isco smashed in a priceless away goal. Game over.
And so to London. Perhaps the biggest difference between Arsenal vs Chelsea in the 2003/04 quarter-finals and the Milan and Madrid ties is that the UK capital is not split in two. There are too many teams in London for the meeting of the Blues and Reds to command the same intensity. Arsène Wenger’s side were on their way to winning the Premier League without losing a match. Chelsea, led by under-pressure Claudio Ranieri, were underdogs but had their own emerging world-class stars in Frank Lampard and John Terry.
The first leg ended 1-1 at Stamford Bridge, with Robert Pirès’s away goal giving the Gunners the edge. Things were looking even rosier for the north London side when they took the lead just before the interval at Highbury in the return game, but an equaliser from the outstanding Lampard winded the nervy hosts. With three minutes to go, marauding left-back Wayne Bridge played a fine one-two with Eidur Gudjohnsen and zoomed unmarked into the box to stamp Chelsea’s ticket for the semi-finals. Invincible at home, the Gunners had been vanquished in Europe.
Away success in the Champions League is typically a demonstration of how your prowess translates to foreign shores. In the stands, witnessing your team win abroad is a wonderful feeling, even if you don’t have long to lord it over your opponent’s fans (in a civil manner, naturally) before the long journey home.
From time to time, though, the tournament offers us that rare gift: the chance to get the better of domestic rivals on the European stage. Rarer still: the city derby. Only three cities have endured the stress of having two teams meet in the knockouts – Milan, Madrid and London – with the Lombardy capital the first to experience the intensity of the occasion.
Paolo Maldini recalls that first Euroderby, in the 2002/03 Champions League semi-finals. “There was an electricity throughout the city. We played on the Wednesday and Tuesday, and the six days in between were hugely intense. There was fear and excitement. The only matches that came close to giving similar feelings were Champions League finals.”
Milan’s is a friendly football rivalry; indeed, many families have split loyalties. But that doesn’t mean the victors are gentle on the losers after the final whistle. It was 0-0 when Maldini and Co were the designated home side at the San Siro, and 1-1 the following week. The Rossoneri were through courtesy of the least authentic away goal in the tournament’s history, from Andriy Shevchenko. To make matters even worse for Inter, their nemeses won the final two weeks later. There was no escape from red-and-black glee.
Crowd trouble brought a premature halt to the quarter-final meeting between the sides in 2004/05, with the second leg abandoned and awarded to the Rossoneri 3-0, but Inter were finally able to exact revenge when the pair met again last season. This time, the suspense didn’t last long as Inter raced into a 2-0 lead in the first leg and never surrendered their grip on the tie.
Real Madrid know a thing or two about strangleholds on this competition. Los Blancos have lifted the trophy 14 times, with two of their final wins coming against city rivals Atlético de Madrid. Those showpiece duels fell during a run of meetings in four consecutive Champions League seasons between 2013/14 and 2016/17 – sadly for Atleti, Real Madrid somehow came out on top every single time.
Los Colchoneros were leading in the 2014 final until the 93rd minute before Sergio Ramos forced extra time. The following campaign they met in the quarter-finals and, 88 minutes into the second leg, the tie was still goalless until Javier Hernández struck. Caution and dogged tactics 1, Spectacle 0. The 2016 final went to penalties and the Madrileños again went toe-to-toe in the 2016/17 semis, even after a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick at the Santiago Bernabéu appeared to have settled matters.
Diego Simeone’s team don’t subscribe to faits accomplis, however, and flew into a two-goal lead at home. The comeback was on. Step forward, Karim Benzema. With a sinuous touchline dribble, combining a dancer’s feet and the agility of a panther, the Frenchman left three Atleti defenders trailing before pulling the ball back. Toni Kroos’s shot was blocked, but Isco smashed in a priceless away goal. Game over.
And so to London. Perhaps the biggest difference between Arsenal vs Chelsea in the 2003/04 quarter-finals and the Milan and Madrid ties is that the UK capital is not split in two. There are too many teams in London for the meeting of the Blues and Reds to command the same intensity. Arsène Wenger’s side were on their way to winning the Premier League without losing a match. Chelsea, led by under-pressure Claudio Ranieri, were underdogs but had their own emerging world-class stars in Frank Lampard and John Terry.
The first leg ended 1-1 at Stamford Bridge, with Robert Pirès’s away goal giving the Gunners the edge. Things were looking even rosier for the north London side when they took the lead just before the interval at Highbury in the return game, but an equaliser from the outstanding Lampard winded the nervy hosts. With three minutes to go, marauding left-back Wayne Bridge played a fine one-two with Eidur Gudjohnsen and zoomed unmarked into the box to stamp Chelsea’s ticket for the semi-finals. Invincible at home, the Gunners had been vanquished in Europe.
Away success in the Champions League is typically a demonstration of how your prowess translates to foreign shores. In the stands, witnessing your team win abroad is a wonderful feeling, even if you don’t have long to lord it over your opponent’s fans (in a civil manner, naturally) before the long journey home.
From time to time, though, the tournament offers us that rare gift: the chance to get the better of domestic rivals on the European stage. Rarer still: the city derby. Only three cities have endured the stress of having two teams meet in the knockouts – Milan, Madrid and London – with the Lombardy capital the first to experience the intensity of the occasion.
Paolo Maldini recalls that first Euroderby, in the 2002/03 Champions League semi-finals. “There was an electricity throughout the city. We played on the Wednesday and Tuesday, and the six days in between were hugely intense. There was fear and excitement. The only matches that came close to giving similar feelings were Champions League finals.”
Milan’s is a friendly football rivalry; indeed, many families have split loyalties. But that doesn’t mean the victors are gentle on the losers after the final whistle. It was 0-0 when Maldini and Co were the designated home side at the San Siro, and 1-1 the following week. The Rossoneri were through courtesy of the least authentic away goal in the tournament’s history, from Andriy Shevchenko. To make matters even worse for Inter, their nemeses won the final two weeks later. There was no escape from red-and-black glee.
Crowd trouble brought a premature halt to the quarter-final meeting between the sides in 2004/05, with the second leg abandoned and awarded to the Rossoneri 3-0, but Inter were finally able to exact revenge when the pair met again last season. This time, the suspense didn’t last long as Inter raced into a 2-0 lead in the first leg and never surrendered their grip on the tie.
Real Madrid know a thing or two about strangleholds on this competition. Los Blancos have lifted the trophy 14 times, with two of their final wins coming against city rivals Atlético de Madrid. Those showpiece duels fell during a run of meetings in four consecutive Champions League seasons between 2013/14 and 2016/17 – sadly for Atleti, Real Madrid somehow came out on top every single time.
Los Colchoneros were leading in the 2014 final until the 93rd minute before Sergio Ramos forced extra time. The following campaign they met in the quarter-finals and, 88 minutes into the second leg, the tie was still goalless until Javier Hernández struck. Caution and dogged tactics 1, Spectacle 0. The 2016 final went to penalties and the Madrileños again went toe-to-toe in the 2016/17 semis, even after a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick at the Santiago Bernabéu appeared to have settled matters.
Diego Simeone’s team don’t subscribe to faits accomplis, however, and flew into a two-goal lead at home. The comeback was on. Step forward, Karim Benzema. With a sinuous touchline dribble, combining a dancer’s feet and the agility of a panther, the Frenchman left three Atleti defenders trailing before pulling the ball back. Toni Kroos’s shot was blocked, but Isco smashed in a priceless away goal. Game over.
And so to London. Perhaps the biggest difference between Arsenal vs Chelsea in the 2003/04 quarter-finals and the Milan and Madrid ties is that the UK capital is not split in two. There are too many teams in London for the meeting of the Blues and Reds to command the same intensity. Arsène Wenger’s side were on their way to winning the Premier League without losing a match. Chelsea, led by under-pressure Claudio Ranieri, were underdogs but had their own emerging world-class stars in Frank Lampard and John Terry.
The first leg ended 1-1 at Stamford Bridge, with Robert Pirès’s away goal giving the Gunners the edge. Things were looking even rosier for the north London side when they took the lead just before the interval at Highbury in the return game, but an equaliser from the outstanding Lampard winded the nervy hosts. With three minutes to go, marauding left-back Wayne Bridge played a fine one-two with Eidur Gudjohnsen and zoomed unmarked into the box to stamp Chelsea’s ticket for the semi-finals. Invincible at home, the Gunners had been vanquished in Europe.
