Liverpool against Milan, Barcelona against Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool against Barcelona, and Tottenham against Ajax – the rundown could go on.
Europe’s world class club rivalry has created probably the most spine-shivering, hair-raising, and eyeball-popping crossroads in football history. Also, on 7 April 2004, Deportivo La Coruna utilized the acclaimed stage to create their own snapshot of unadulterated happiness and doubt against the Rossoneri.
By the mid-noughties, the Galicians had set up themselves as an European power, having equipped for the Champions League in five successive missions from 2000 to 2004. They won their solitary La Liga title in the 1999/00 mission and wrapped other participants twice in the following three seasons, likewise getting a Copa del Rey prize in 2002.
Their best exhibition in Europe was in the 2003/04 season when they arrived at the Champions League semi-last, civility of one of the incomparable European rebounds.
The quarter-last tie among Deportivo and Milan began as most suspected it would. A normally great Kaka support, an incredible Andriy Shevchenko solo objective, and a brand name Andrea Pirlo free-kick (all inside eight second-half minutes) vehemently upset Walter Pandiani’s eleventh moment strike to give the Italian goliaths an apparently irreversible 4-1 first-leg succeed at the San Siro.
Yet, the Spanish longshots never lost confidence, and just returned more grounded for the second leg at the Estadio Riazor. Pandiani put them ahead on five minutes, giving Dida no possibility with a stunning turn on the edge of the zone prior to tracking down the base corner.
Juan Carlos Valeron at that point pulled another objective back on 35 minutes, exploiting curiously messy goalkeeping from Dida to head in from a couple of yards out. Also, it was three preceding the half-time whistle when Albert Luque took in and rifled the ball into the top of the net, to put his side ahead on the total scoreline with the away objective.
With the semi-last now theirs to lose, the Galician side didn’t quit squeezing and ultimately fixed the electrifying rebound in the 73rd moment when substitute Fran put the ball into Dida’s net on the half-volley to make it 4-0 and, in doing as such, put Estadio Riazor into supreme commotion and utter stun.
The really astounding rebound would book Deportivo’s place in Champions League history, just as the 2003/04 release of the opposition’s semi-finals. They would in the end lose the following cycle 1-0 on total to Porto who, driven by Jose Mourinho, proceeded to lift the prize.
While Los Blanquiazules have neglected to imitate such sorcery since and have essentially evaporated into unremarkableness since their exciting Champions League adventures, they will consistently be associated with perhaps the best rebound in the opposition.
What’s more, while it very well might be an incredibly, long route back up to their past statures, Deportivo is equipped for becoming alive once again – more odd things have occurred.
Comments are closed.