Manchester City’s recent 4-2 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain has left reigning Premier League holders staring down the barrel of an embarrassing early exit from the UEFA Champions League. Both clubs headed into the contest knowing that victory was imperative, and it looked as though it would go City’s way when they took a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland. However, the French champions came roaring back, and late strikes from Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, Joao Neves, and Goncalo Ramos gave the hosts the victory.
The result leaves Pep Guardiola’s side teetering on the brink, two points away from a spot in the knockout round with just one game remaining. But even though the Blues currently find themselves on the brink of elimination, the bookies haven’t given up on them just yet. The latest online sports betting odds currently make the Blues a 10/1 contender for the trophy, good enough for the sixth favourite spot ahead of some far better-positioned teams such as Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid.
Should the 2023 winners ultimately suffer an embarrassingly early exit, they wouldn’t be the first team ever to have been left with an egg on their collective faces. Here are three teams that have suffered a similar fate in years gone by.
Barcelona
When Barcelona entered the 2022 Champions League campaign, fans anticipated a return to dominance. The club was still reeling following the loss of Lionel Messi to Paris Saint Germain, but no one could have anticipated just how badly their continental showings would be.
A 3-0 drubbing on home turf against Bayern Munich in their opening game set the tone before a shocking defeat at Benfica by the same scoreline was perhaps the club’s worst-ever group stage showing. Back-to-back narrow 1-9 victories home and away against Dynamo Kyiv brought them back into contention, but further pain was just around the corner.
A goalless draw at home to Benfica meant that the Blaugrana had to beat Bayern in Bavaria to have any hopes of progressing. Once again though, they were thumped 3-0 and dropped into the Europa League for the first time in a generation.
But if their 2022 exit was shocking, their repeat failure a year later only deepened the wounds. The club had hoped to make amends for the previous year’s continental showing, especially after signing Robert Lewandowski to bolster its attack. But what unfolded was another disaster.
Barca was in arguably the toughest group, alongside Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, and outsiders Viktoria Plzeň. Despite their decorated history, the Blaugrana managed just two wins in six group games, both against the weaker Czech outfit.
Another loss at Bayern Munich—this time by two goals to nil—exposed their frailties, but a 1-0 defeat away against Inter put them on the brink. The reverse fixture against the Italians was an enthralling 3-3 draw, but despite Robert Lewandowski’s 92nd-minute equaliser, the Catalonians knew they needed to beat Bayern at home to have any hope of progressing. They duly lost 3-0, consigning them to a second straight season in the Europa League.
Liverpool
Under Rafa Benitez, Liverpool became a major force in the Champions League. They miraculously won the tournament in 2005, before reaching the final once again two years later, as well as another semi-final in 2008. That then made their group stage elimination in 2010 all the more shocking.
After being drawn into a relatively easy-looking group with Lyon, Fiorentina, and Debrecen, the Reds were huge favourites to progress. But back-to-back defeats away in Florence and at home to Lyon left elimination a distinct possibility. Ryan Babel’s 83rd-minute rocket in the reverse fixture in France brought the Reds to within touching distance of a priceless three points, only for Argentinian poacher Lisandro Lopez to net a last-minute equaliser, sealing their fate with two games to spare.
The disappointment reverberated throughout Anfield. Steven Gerrard, battling injuries, and Fernando Torres, labouring for form, couldn’t carry the Reds to safety. Liverpool’s early exit foreshadowed a period of decline, as the club hovered away from Europe’s elite for several years before their eventual resurgence under Jürgen Klopp.
