The Champions League came to a close last weekend which fittingly saw Barcelona’s three-pronged attacks lead the way as the Catalans defeated Juventus 3-1 to clinch their fourth European trophy in the last nine years. Another exciting season of Champions League football have now ended and so, we take a look at some of the biggest surprises in this year’s edition of the competition.
Juventus reaching the final
Not many would raise their hands if they said they had money on the Bianconeri making it to the final at the start of the season which all the more, shows what a great job Max Allegri has done at the club in his debut season.
In the previous two seasons, Juventus reached the quarterfinals and got knocked out in the group stages respectively so not many expected much progress on that front especially as the Italians finished second in their group this season.
However, facing a troubled Dortmund side in the round of 16 and the inexperienced Monaco in the quarterfinals, Juventus were given a dream passage to the semifinals. Surely this would be the end of their journey, squaring off against the reigning champions in Real Madrid? Not this year – Juventus beat Madrid 2-1 at home before booking their tickets to Berlin with a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu.
Their showing in the final against Barcelona was also very respectable despite a 3-1 scoreline and they can definitely end their season with their heads held high, after achieving a domestic double.
Defensively solid Monaco
Monaco returned to the competition after a long hiatus following their second place finish in Ligue 1 last season. Having lost Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez though, not many expected a great showing from Leonardo Jardim’s side.
However, they exceeded expectations through sheer defensive quality and teamwork, not only qualifying for the round of 16 but doing it in style, topping their group which featured the likes of Zenit, Benfica, and Leverkusen.
To make things even more impressive, Monaco only conceded one goal in their entire six group stage games. They were next, handed a tie against Arsenal, managed by former Monaco man, Arsene Wenger in what many saw as a chance for the Gunners to finally go past the round of 16 which has been their fate in recent seasons.
However, the French side shocked all and through impressive counter-attacking, beat Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium before a 0-2 home loss saw them through to the quarterfinals via away goals.
Their adventure harshly came to an end against Juventus, losing 1-0 on aggregate but the rich owners of the Ligue 1 club can surely have no complaints about how they’ve performed in Europe after such a long time away from the competition.
Schalke beating Real Madrid
After a 2-0 win for Cristiano Ronaldo and company in Germany, the tie was over. Why wouldn’t it be? This was Real Madrid with two away goals against a poor Schalke side.
The Germans though decided to have a real go at it and went all out in the second leg at the Bernabeu, almost pulling off the comeback of the century. Schalke eventually won at Madrid 4-3, going out with an agonizing 5-4 aggregate score. The win shook up the foundations of Madrid whose fans booed their own players at the full-time whistle.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side was already looking shaky in La Liga and with this defeat, never quite looked the same especially in the Champions League as they just about scraped through Atletico 1-0 in the quarterfinals before eventually bowing out 3-2 to Juventus.
