Champions League 2014/15: 10 Biggest Surprises
The Champions League is finished for 2014-15, with Barcelona crowned champions after beating Juventus 3-1 in the final in Berlin. An enticing, exciting and entertaining campaign will be shelved and added to the history books.
But here at B/R we're still reacting and reliving some of the best moments, and we've collated the top 10 biggest shocks and surprises of the European season.
Alvaro Morata and his club Juve are involved, but why? And what has ranked as the No. 1 surprise from 2014-15? Read on to find out!
10. Monaco Madness at the Emirates
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Arsenal qualified from an extremely tough UEFA Champions League group containing Anderlecht, Borussia Dortmund and Galatasaray to land Monaco in the round of 16. "Easy pickings," the fans whispered quietly.
But the Gunners lost the first leg at the Emirates 3-1, leaving themselves wide-open to counter-attacks in a truly naive display and giving themselves far too much to do in the return leg.
Les Monegasques are no slouches, that much is extremely clear, but the way in which Arsenal fell to pieces, and the killer, late, Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco goal was symptomatic of the defensive issues the club have battled under Arsene Wenger.
Arsenal lost on away goals (3-3) and were knocked out.
Why is this the lowest-ranking of the surprises? Well, it's not like Arsenal haven't done this sort of thing before, is it?
9. Benfica Flop
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Given how well Benfica played in the Liga NOS this season, and how well FC Porto performed in Europe, it's a real shock that Jorge Jesus' men fell flat on their faces in the UEFA Champions League this season.
This is a team who remained top of the Portuguese Premier League and won their second consecutive domestic trophy, and a team who held, matched and bested Porto at all times throughout to secure it.
Yet dealt a group of Monaco, Bayer Leverkusen and Zenit St. Petersburg, they finished bottom with five points, having scored just two goals. Porto, a team they shaded over an entire season, reached the quarter-finals, yet Benfica mustered just a single win.
8. Alvaro Morata's Emergence
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Juventus paid an eye-watering €20 million for Alvaro Morata last summer, but that decision has been proved correct. He was the epitome of a gamble given his lack of experience, but key goals—particularly in the UEFA Champions League—justify the fee.
He ended up with five goals in nine appearances, usurping Fernando Llorente on the depth chart and earning his first-choice place alongside Carlos Tevez. The Spaniard scored critical goals on Juve's path to the final, including the clincher at the Santiago Bernabeu—his former Real Madrid stomping ground.
Morata's rise has been remarkable; he's gone from question mark to bona fide, elite finisher in the space of eight months.
7. Liverpool Failing to Qualify from Their Group
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Liverpool drew a good UEFA Champions League group in 2014-15, being saddled with Real Madrid, sure, but also landing alongside Basel and Ludogorets. On paper they were clearly the second-best side, and a faint hope of upsetting Los Blancos and challenging for first was not an unreasonable thought.
But the campaign was an absolute disaster, with the Reds ending up third and failing to qualify for the latter stages. All the while their domestic form suffered, leaving Brendan Rodgers stranded upstream without so much as a semblance of a paddle.
A 1-1 draw at home to Basel on the final matchday ensured they could not leapfrog their Swiss opponents, condemning them to Thursday nights after Christmas.
6. Casemiro's Prowess
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Casemiro was loaned to FC Porto this summer in a complicated arrangement, but the thinking was, at least on parent club Real Madrid's part, that they could place the Brazilian in the shop window and attract handsome bids.
But Casemiro has shown he's a quality, quality footballer, anchoring the Dragoes' midfield under Julen Lopetegui and combining superbly with Oliver Torres and Hector Herrera.
In the end, Real Madrid ended up buying him back (announcement and deal explained here) to stop Porto activating a cheap release clause, and may now look to introduce him into the midfield at the Bernabeu.
No one really saw this coming.
5. The Dragao Collapse
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Bayern Munich drew FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals after demolishing Shakhtar Donetsk in the previous round. To many, it seemed a perfect tie on paper.
But the first leg went horribly, horribly wrong; Porto took a quick two-goal lead at the Dragao, thanks to the brilliance of Ricardo Quaresma and Jackson Martinez, and finished 3-1 up.
Die Bayern failed to cope with the high-press game instituted by Julen Lopetegui, continually dallying on the ball and losing it in dangerous positions. It's rare to see Pep Guardiola so unprepared and bested without a Plan B.
4. Barcelona 3-0 Bayern Munich
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The state of shock surrounding Bayern Munich's collapse at the Dragao subsided after they thumped FC Porto in the home leg 7-1. That brought them to the semi-final stage, where they met Barcelona.
Pep Guardiola vs. Barcelona, Pep returns to Camp Nou, Pep vs. Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi...the narrative of the manager's return to his old stomping ground dominated the headlines and put every other element (and match) in the shade.
But Bayern were truly taken apart (again), losing 3-0 in the first leg and falling to an irrecoverable deficit. Messi ruled as Pep drooled, and all the latter had to say afterward was that Messi is unstoppable. He looked resigned, and it became clear Pep had learned nothing from the previous year—where he was taken apart by Real Madrid in similar circumstances.
3. Juventus Reach the Final
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When Massimiliano Allegri replaced Antonio Conte last summer, Juventus fans resented the decision. There's no hiding from it; it was a very unpopular appointment at the time.
But the Bianconeri have been exceptional this season, winning a domestic double, hauling in yet another Scudetto and finishing as runners up in the UEFA Champions League.
The latter part is the key part: They reached the Champions League final. There are those who anticipated Juve's return to European relevancy, but them getting to the final? That's a shock, a surprise and much, much more.
2. Real Madrid 3-4 Schalke
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The UEFA Champions League round of 16 produced some spectacular moments, but none more so than Schalke's defeating of Real Madrid...at the Santiago Bernabeu.
A 2-0 victory in the first leg seemingly sealed the deal for Los Blancos, but in the build-up to the second, pressure was growing on Carlo Ancelotti after a worrying streak of performances. Estimations were they'd be fine against Schalke thanks to their two-goal lead, and they eventually were, but the Royal Blue shocked the world by running them as close as possible.
A 4-3 victory in Madrid meant Schalke were only narrowly defeated. It's exceptionally rare anyone, let alone Roberto Di Matteo's Schalke, score four at the Bernabeu.
1. Chelsea Lose to 10-Man Paris Saint-Germain
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Chelsea met Paris Saint-Germain for the second consecutive season in the knockout stages, although this time in the round of 16, not the quarter-final.
After the Blues secured a 1-1 draw in Paris to take back to Stamford Bridge, the tie seemed a formality even at the halfway stage. Chelsea would get the job done; their domestic form was stunning and they held a valuable away goal.
But, in a shocking turn of events, PSG rescued a 2-2 draw in extra time in the second leg, progressing on away goals. What made the feat more impressive for the visitors, and in turn even more galling for the hosts, was that Laurent Blanc's men were reduced to 10 men after just 31 minutes, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic (their talisman!) seeing a straight red card.
Talk about dropping the ball, Jose!
