UCL: Greatest ever Group Stage matches

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Ahead of the start of the 2023/2024 Champions League Group Stages

This article will explore some of the best matches from this stage of the competition.

When did Europe's premier competition introduce a Group Stage?

Since the 1997–98 season, the competition has allowed multiple entries from certain countries. It added a round-robin group stage in 1992. For a brief period between 1999 and 2002, there was a 2nd Group Stage introduced.

The best Group-Stage matches 

Tottenham Hotspur 2-7 Bayern Munich (2019-20)

By smashing seven goals past an almost hapless Tottenham Hotspur team that had no answers to their attacking prowess at home, Bayern Munich revealed a glimpse of what was to come in the season they lifted their sixth UEFA Champions League title! For Spurs, this set the tone for what was a poor season after they came so close to European success the previous campaign.

Spurs 2 - 7 Bayern Munich 2019 - 1

Monaco 8-3 Deportivo de La Coruña (2003-04)

The 2003-04 season was a fairytale run for Monaco in the UEFA Champions League. They reached the final during the campaign, and they thumped Spanish club Deportivo La Coruna 8-3 along the way.

Borussia Dortmund 8-4 Legia Warsaw (2016-17)

As Borussia Dortmund and Legia Warsaw clashed at the Signal Iduna Park in a Group F match in 2016, they broke the 13-year record for the most goals scored in a single UEFA Champions League game.

The Polish side took a surprise lead in the 10th minute but Dortmund hit back with two goals from Shinji Kagawa in consecutive minutes. This was the start of a goal feast. At half-time, the score read 5-2 in Dortmund’s favour. There was to be another 5 goals in the second 45 minutes. What an incredible night in Germany.

Manchester United 3 - 3 Barcelona (1998-1999)

In September 1998, Manchester United drew 3-3 with Barcelona in what was a wild and breathless Champions League debut for future Barca legend and manager Xavi. Twenty-five years later, it remains one of Old Trafford’s craziest European nights and one that set the tone for United’s defining adventure in Europe. Amazingly, the two teams would repeat this scoreline when they met again later in the campaign. 

You can watch the highlights of the match by clicking the link or video embedded below. Manchester United 3-3 FC Barcelona | UEFA Champions League Classic | Treble Revisited - YouTube

Liverpool 3-1 Olympiakos (2004 - 2005)

In Liverpool's historic 2004/2005 Champions League campaign, they very nearly missed out on qualification from the Group Stage. In matchday 6, it took a stunning late goal from Steven Gerrard as Liverpool came from behind to beat Olympiakos and go into the next stage of the Champions League.

YNWA: More Liverpool news and stories can be found here

Manchester United 3 - 2 Juventus (1997 - 1998)

United might have ultimately missed out on European success during this campaign, but this win proved to be important in their overall journey as a force to be reckoned with in Europe. Juve were one of the best teams in Europe at this time so this win was fantastic for Manchester United. What's more incredible about this win and performance is that United's captain Roy Keane was injured. The replacements for Keane did really well against this iconic Juventus side. 

GGMU: Click here for more Manchester United news and stories 

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