The Top 10 Highest-Scoring Matches in the Champions League
The 7:0 victory of Olympique Marseille over MŠK Žilina was the biggest away win in the history of the Champions League. But far from being the highest-scoring match in this prestigious competition. Here's our top ten.
Feyenoord Rotterdam – KR Reykjavik 12:2
(September 17, 1969, 1st round)
Let's stick our necks out and claim: The 1969/70 season was a good year for those who want to see as many goals as possible in football. Feyenoord's ringing slap against Iceland's representative KR is just the tip of the iceberg. Need more examples? Leeds United – SFK Lyn Oslo 10:0; Legia Warsaw – UT Arad 8:0; Red Star Belgrade – Linfield FC Belfast 8:0; Real Madrid – Olympiakos Nicosia 8:0.
Ipswich Town – Floriana FC 10:0
(September 18, 1962, 1st round)
Those were the days when footballers' hair hung long at the back of their necks, players' wives were still called "footballers' brides" with first names like Ilka, and the "small ones" in football could safely be called small: Already in the first leg, the English champion Ipswich Town under the later English national coach Alf Ramsey beat the champion from Malta 4:1, the return match in England turned into a real massacre: 10:0, including five goals by striker Ray Crawford. Too bad Ipswich ran into the later winner AC Milan in the 2nd round – and lost.
Manchester United - RSC Anderlecht 10:0
(September 26, 1956, 1st round)
The second year in the European Cup, the first participation of an English champion: After the FA had called back Chelsea FC in 1955, Manchester United could dive into the international fray for the 1956/57 season. And what an introduction: The "Busby Babes," that famous United generation tragically torn apart two years later in the Munich air crash, swept RSC Anderlecht off the pitch with a 10:0 win. Seven of the ten goals were scored by the duo Dennis Viollet and Tommy Taylor. Both led the goal-scoring list at the end of the EC season.
Bayern München – Omonia Nicosia 9:0
(October 24, 1972, 2nd round)
Lucky to have a Gerd Müller in their ranks: The striker with the monstrous thighs softened up the Cypriot champion from Nicosia in 1972, netting five times in the 9:0 home match, and twice more in the return match two days later (4:0). Seven goals, which would have been enough to become the top scorer of the EC 1972/73 season on its own. What did Müller do? Scored five more goals in the competition and ended with twelve goals to his name. Second on the goal-scorer list: Ferenc Bene from Újpest Dozsa Budapest with six hits...
Real Madrid – CF Sevilla 8:0
(January 23, 1958, quarter-final)
The supposedly dead live longer: Alfredo di Stefano, freshly awarded the "European Footballer of the Year" 1957, was said to be in a slump before the quarter-final against league opponent Sevilla. What they call a "slump" – di Stefano managed four goals against Sevilla, and Sevilla was beaten in front of 77,000 spectators at the Santiago Bernabeu. With a 2:2 in the return leg, the Andalusians bowed out of the competition decently, which Real later won 3:2 against AC Milan.
If you are interested in the longest winning streaks in football, click the link.
FC Liverpool - Besiktas Istanbul 8:0
(November 6, 2007, group stage)
Istanbul – that brings back memories for the "Reds." The men around Didi Hamann turned one of the most unbelievable finals in cup history there. And it seems the visit of Besiktas to Anfield Road had a similarly stimulating effect, eight goals speak for themselves. The "Eagles" from the Bosporus were apparently accompanied by bad memories, having already conceded six goals on the island seven years earlier, against Leeds.
Olympique Lyon - SV Werder Bremen 7:2
(March 8, 2005, round of 16)
Werder back among the big names. And yes, the Bremen team is known for miracles when it comes to international play. But also for negatives: The first leg was already lost 0:3, in the return leg all dams broke. Only Johan Micoud and Valerien Ismael stood up to their compatriots, otherwise it was the era of Davalas, Stalteris, and Magnins. No wonder...
Manchester United - AS Roma 7:1
(April 10, 2007, quarter-final)
Quarter-final in the Champions League! After the first leg, Roma, considered one of the favorites, sent the islanders home with a 2:1 win. Anyone expecting a tight match in the decisive game was bitterly disappointed. Ronaldo, Rooney, and their mates were "on fire," especially Ryan Giggs. He prepared the goals from the second to the fifth, so the match was decided by halftime. AC Milan, however, immediately retaliated for this attack on Italian football, knocking United out of the competition in the semi-final.
Paris St. Germain - Rosenborg Trondheim 7:2
(October 24, 2000, group stage)
The Norwegians made a big splash in their group in 2000, which also included Bayern Munich. In the first leg, they won surprisingly 3:1. This was followed by a crushing victory over Swedish Helsingborg IF, which they incredibly defeated 6:1. But that was the end of the glory: First, they lost the return match against Helsingborg 2:0, then came the Parisian blow. Bitter.
MŠK Žilina - Olympique Marseille 0:7
(November 3, 2010, group stage)
Even in times when it is well known that "there are no small ones," miracles still happen. The completely overwhelmed Slovaks invited to a cheerful goal-scoring party. The French gratefully accepted, with André-Pierre Gignac alone hitting the net three times. By the way, Olympique Marseille already ensured a blowout victory 18 years earlier, since the competition was renamed the "Champions League": in 1992, they beat CSKA Moscow 6:0 – and later ascended to Europe's football throne.
