Bayern's 5-2 defeat and Liverpool's record: The highest-scoring CL semi-finals
The furious first leg between FC Barcelona and Inter Milan leaves us wanting more. With a 3-3 draw, the two teams missed out on a semifinal record – another one is still possible today.
FC Bayern once lost 5-2 in Amsterdam in the Champions League semifinals; years later, Liverpool FC was involved in the highest-scoring semifinal in history. imago images (2)
Inter's showpiece suffered a severe blow last week. Until last Wednesday, the defending Italian champions' defense had conceded an average of just 0.82 goals per game in Serie A, the Coppa Italia, and the Champions League combined. The outliers remained just that, outliers. In the league, the Nerazzurri conceded three goals in a single match only twice.
Unfortunately, this was also the case in the 3-0 domestic cup semifinal second leg against city rivals Milan in mid-April – which meant elimination. And then again last Wednesday, in the Champions League semifinal first leg against FC Barcelona. Two escapes at the worst possible time, but of course also against strong opposition. It's not for nothing that head coach Simone Inzaghi described Barca's Lamine Yamal as a "phenomenon born every 50 years."
The fact that Inter also scored three goals in their away match against the Catalans on a truly spectacular evening , putting them in a good position going into the return leg in front of their own fans (Tuesday, 9 p.m., LIVE! on kicker), may have consoled head coach Inzaghi for the numerous goals conceded. A fourth goal by Henrikh Mkhitaryan , which appeared to make it 4-3, was ruled out for a narrow offside.
And with it, the chance for a place in the history books. The highest-scoring semi-finals in Champions League history have each seen seven goals count, not just six. This has already happened three times, most recently in 2022 when Manchester City beat Real Madrid 4-3 in the first leg . In 2018, Liverpool also beat AS Roma 5-2 in the first leg, and in 1995, Bayern Munich lost 5-2 in the second leg at Ajax Amsterdam, thus missing out on a place in the final. Ajax, under later Bayern coach Louis van Gaal, went on to win the title.
Another record is theoretically still within reach for Inter and Barcelona this Tuesday, even if it would require another spectacular performance. The highest total for the highest-scoring semi-final overall—i.e., the first and second legs combined—is 13 goals, also set by Liverpool and Roma in 2018.
After the aforementioned 5-2 first-leg victory for the Reds, Roma hit back 4-2 in the return . Two Roma goals in the closing stages against Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius made the game even more exciting, but in the end, Jürgen Klopp's team, which set a record for most goals in a European Cup campaign that same season (47 in total), advanced to the final. In Kyiv, Liverpool lost 3-1 to Real Madrid.
Inter and Barca would need seven goals in their semifinal second leg tonight to equal the semifinal record. Second place in this ranking is "only" five away. That belongs to the aforementioned Real Madrid vs. Manchester City match in 2022, which needed extra time to help (eleven goals – 3-4 in the first leg , 3-1 after extra time in the second leg ).
Inzaghi, just like his colleague Hansi Flick on the other side, could probably do without this record.
