FC Barcelona reach their eighth European Cup/UCL final

Four years on, Liga BBVA team FC Barcelona will once again take their place in the final of the UEFA Champions League, after beating Bayern Munich in the semi-finals courtesy of an aggregate score of 3-5. The showdown in Berlin on 6 June will be los azulgranas’ eighth final appearance in the European Cup/UCL, and will see them look to lift the trophy for the fifth time in their history.

Before winning the tournament for the first time, the Catalan outfit were runners-up in the 1960/61 season, losing the final 3-2 to Benfica. Twenty-five years later, in 1986, they came even closer to claiming their maiden European Cup, but fortune was not on their side as they were denied victory in a penalty shoot-out with Steaua Bucharest after a 0-0 draw. But just six years later, it was – as the saying goes – third time lucky.

Barcelona 1-0 Sampdoria (1991/92) 

On 20 May 1992, FC Barcelona’s first continental crown arrived in what was also the swansong season of the old European Cup. Wembley provided the backdrop as the team then coached by Johan Cruyff came out on top of a final against Italians Sampdoria, thanks to an extra-time goal from Ronald Koeman. 

FC Barcelona’s first European Cup arrived on 20 May 1992 in a 1-0 final win over Sampdoria

The Catalans would go on to underline the excellent period they were in at the time by reaching the final of the Champions League just two years later. However, Cruyff’s men were unable to repeat their heroics from London, losing 4-0 to AC Milan. That would prove the club’s last final defeat thus far, as they moved into a golden age following the turn of the millennium.   

 

Barcelona 2-1 Arsenal (2005/06) 

FC Barcelona’s second competition win came 14 years after their Wembley triumph. The Stade de France in Paris was the venue for the final between los azulgranas and Arsenal, a match that saw coachFrank Rijkaard’s sidefight back from adversity to earn victory. Having fallen behind to Sol Campbell’s first-half opener for the English outfit, Barça managed to turn it around in the final 15 minutes of the encounter, with Samuel Eto’o and Juliano Belletti both netting.

Los azulgranas won three Champions Leagues between 2006 and 2011

Barcelona 2-0 Manchester United (2008/09) 

The Camp Nou club would reach another Champions League final just three years later, on this occasion with Pep Guardiola as coach and again against Premier League opposition, this time Manchester United. Barça claimed an early lead when Eto'o opened the scoring after 10 minutes and, in a match in which los azulgranas took their game to United and dominated possession of the ball, the scoreline was rounded off by Leo Messi’s unstoppable header past Edwin Van der Sar.  

Barcelona 3-1 Manchester United (2010/11)

Two years on, the sides met again in the final, in what was Barcelona’s third in the space of just five years. The clash saw Guardiola’s team go ahead through a goal from Pedro Rodríguez and, although Wayne Rooney equalised for Manchester United shortly afterwards, Barça settled the affair in the second half with two fantastic strikes from outside of the area by Messi and David Villa.