In a season with three titles under their belt and praise coming from all sides, Barça have one thorn in their side, and that is none other than the Champions League. Hansi Flick’s side have won over half of Europe with their style of play and their goal-scoring prowess, thanks to a lethal trio of Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Lewandowski. However, this trio was not enough to secure victory in this weekend’s final.
To the semifinals, six years later
Barça managed to sneak into the semifinals six years later and experienced a very intense tie. In both the first and second legs, they had to come from behind against Inter Milan. The first leg ended in a 3-3 draw, leaving the tie wide open for the Giuseppe Meazza, where a crazy game unfolded.
Hansi Flick’s side managed to turn a 2-0 half-time lead into a 2-3 defeat in added time. Barça had the Champions League final in Munich in their hands, but Inter Milan’s push forced extra time, in which Inzaghi’s side sealed the tie and reached the final. After taking the blow, the message from Barcelona fans is clear: there is a Champions League every year and next season is another opportunity to go for the trophy that has eluded them for so long.
10 years without winning the Champions League
To remember the last time Barça lifted the trophy, you have to go back ten years. In the 2015 season, after winning La Liga and the Copa del Rey, the Azulgrana team lifted the Champions League, thus achieving their second treble. They did so in a final against Juventus in the midst of one of their most successful cycles with Luis Enrique at the helm.
The match began with an early goal for the Azulgranas. Ivan Rakitić put Barça ahead just after the kick-off at the Olympiastadion (4′). Morata equalized for Juve in the 55th minute, but Luis Suárez (68′) and Neymar in stoppage time sealed the victory that consolidated the second treble in the club’s history. The match also marked the farewell of Xavi, who came on in the 78th minute to play his last game in a Barça shirt after 24 years at the club, where he would later return as coach.
How many Champions League titles does Barça have?
The victory over Juventus was the fifth Champions League title for the Azulgranas. In other words, FC Barcelona has five European Cups in its trophy cabinet, which now seem a distant memory. Barça has been waiting 10 years to win its sixth Champions League, and it has not been as close as it has been this year, when the Catalans came up just short.
Barça won its first Champions League in the 1991-92 season, beating Italian side Sampdoria with a solitary goal from Ronald Koeman in the 112th minute at Wembley. It was the club’s first European Cup and was won under the management of Johan Cruyff.
The second would not come until much later. In the 2005-2006 season, the second continental title would arrive against Arsenal at the Stade de Frande. Ronaldinho’s Barça managed to come back from 0-1 down after Arsenal’s goalkeeper was sent off with goals from Samuel Eto’o and Belletti.
The third European Cup was won in 2008/09 against Manchester United in Rome with goals from Eto’o and Messi. It was already the Guardiola era and it was the Barça of the sextuple. Two years later, in 2010, the fourth came again against United at Wembley. Guardiola’s Barça won 3-1 with goals from Pedro, Messi, and David Villa. In 2015, as we mentioned, the fifth and last title to date would arrive.