The new format of the UEFA Champions League has not been kind to the majority of big clubs
The UEFA Champions League, with its new format, has been quite troublesome for some of the big lads. After all, if we look at the table at this juncture, only Barcelona and Liverpool are within the top five—two teams with multiple titles, whereas the remaining three, Arsenal, Leverkusen, and Aston Villa, have very little idea of Champions League success.
Prominent names such as Real Madrid, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, and others are trying hard to climb the ladder. However, this season, we have seen several of these big boys getting humbled and shocked by some of the smaller chaps.
As we prepare to bid goodbye to 2024, let us look at some of the biggest UEFA Champions League upsets we have witnessed after the introduction of the league’s new format.
From goal down, Sporting CP made an epic comeback to thrash the boys of Pep Guardiola with four goals. Despite having only 27 per cent possession and nine shots compared to City’s 20, Viktor Gyökeres scored a brilliant hat trick, whereas Maximiliano Araújo added the fourth to upset the City fans. The game was Pep’s 175th Champions League game as a manager, but it turned out to be the third occasion when a Pep-led team conceded four goals. On the table, City is presenting in 22nd place, whereas Sporting CP is in 17th place.
At the Santiago Bernabeu, AC Milan pulled a rabbit out of the hat by scoring three goals at regular intervals to shock Real Madrid. All the statistics, ranging from shots to pass accuracy and possession, were in Madrid’s favour, but the team simply could not find the back of Milan’s net. For Milan, it was their first-ever away win against a reigning Champions League defender.
Scottish giant Celtic shocked RB Leipzig with a 3-1 victory, because of which they presently have nine points, the highest they have collected since the 2012/2013 Champions League season. On the other hand, RB Leipzig has lost all six matches they have played so far, sitting in the 34th position on the table. As per an analysis by Opta, RB Leipzig had only a 21 per cent chance of reaching the round-of-16 stage, but now, their chance has gone up to 40.8 per cent.
Aston Villa shocked Bayern Munich when Jhon Durian found the back of Munich’s net merely 11 minutes away from the final whistle. Durian was undoubtedly the star, but eyes were again on Emiliano Martinez, who stopped nearly seven Munich shots on target. The loss put Bayern Munich in 10th place, whereas Villa sits in fifth place on the UCL table.
In short, the tournament has been blown wide open, and we expect to witness several other upsets when the Champions League returns on January 21.
