Last week, the UEFA Champions League gifted fans four remarkable match-ups in the quarter-final first leg. On Tuesday (April 9), Manchester City and Real Madrid played out a fascinating 3-3 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu while Arsenal salvaged a 2-2 draw from their clash with Bayern Munich at the Emirates Stadium. After two mega stalemates on Tuesday, we got some narrow victories on Wednesday, with Barcelona beating Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) 3-2 in France and Atletico Madrid bagging a 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in Madrid.
As we close in on the all-important return legs, it will be interesting to see which teams manage to keep their nerves until the end and which falter.
After checking out the most consistent winners of the quarter-finals last week, let us quickly meet the most frequent losers. Here are the five teams that have lost the most quarter-final ties since the tournament’s major refresh in the 1992-93 season:
#5 SL Benfica: 6 Losses
SL Benfica are a force to be reckoned with in the Primeira Liga, but they have not done enough in the UEFA Champions League. The Eagles have qualified for six UEFA Champions League quarter-finals since the tournament got a facelift in 1992, losing on all six occasions.
Benfica, who crashed out of the group stage this season, reached the quarter-finals in the 2022-23 season. They fell to a 2-0 defeat to Inter Milan at San Siro in the first leg but contained the finalists to a 3-3 draw in the return leg.
#4 FC Porto: 6 Losses
Tied with Primeira Liga rivals Benfica, FC Porto have also lost six quarter-final ties over the years. They got through only in the 2003-04 season and ended up going all the way, lifting their maiden UEFA Champions League trophy at AS Monaco’s expense.
FC Porto last qualified for the Champions League quarter-finals in the 2018-19 season. Playing against Chelsea, Porto lost the first leg 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. They claimed a 1-0 win over the Pensioners in the return leg at the Estadio do Dragao, crashing out on aggregate deficit.
#3 Manchester United: 8 Losses
Record 20-time English champions Manchester United have qualified for the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals 14 times in their history, losing the tie on eight occasions. Erik ten Hag’s side had an opportunity to improve their record this year, but they fell flat in the first hurdle, the group stage, itself.
The three-time European champions last qualified for the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in the 2018-19 season. La Liga juggernauts outplayed them completely over two legs, picking up a massive 4-0 aggregate victory.
#2 Barcelona: 7 Losses
La Liga side Barcelona have lost seven of their last 18 UEFA Champions League quarter-final ties. This year, in their 19th appearance, they have an opportunity to improve upon their record. All they need to do is keep a hungry PSG at bay and protect or add to their one-goal advantage from the first leg.
The five-time European conquerors last reached the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in the 2019-20 season. Due to COVID-19, their clash with Bayern Munich was restricted to just one leg, but it was enough for the Germans to bag a historic 8-2 victory over the Spanish side.
#1 Bayern Munich: 9 Losses
At the summit sit Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, having lost nine of their last 21 quarter-final ties. With a slender lead to protect against Premier League powerhouse Arsenal, the Bavarians must produce a strong performance to avoid a record-extending 10th defeat.
Bayern Munich’s last quarter-final defeat came against reigning European champions Manchester City in the 2022-23 season. The six-time European champions suffered a 3-0 defeat to the Cityzens in the first leg before playing out a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture, crashing out of the competition with a 4-1 aggregate loss.
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