Inter Milan won the 2010 Champions League final
Inter Milan won the 2010 Champions League final (oscar federico bodini / Wikipedia.org)

Lucky 13 for Inter Milan as Champions League Humdinger with Barca Ties All-Time Goal Record

Champions League / May 12, 2025

The Football League Cup final between Aston Villa and Rotherham United back in 1960 may not feature in the minds of many fans of the beautiful game. But, in its own way, that particular contest – which was won by the Villains – was something of a trailblazer: it was the first time that a match in a major competition was played over two legs.

The two-legged format, with the goals from both games added together to create an aggregate scoreline, was then rolled out in other competitions too – both in England, with the FA Cup, and on the continent. Two legged games enable both teams to have a chance to play at home, and while the first leg can often be a conservative affair – neither side wants to give an inch, sometimes the beauty of two legs is that it doubles the entertainment when a pair of gung-ho teams collide.

And that was certainly the case in the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2024/25, when Barcelona and Inter Milan met over two extraordinary legs. What followed was one of the most remarkable ties in European history, with stacks of drama, intrigue and no less than 13 goals; levelling the all-time record for total goals scored over two legs in a Champions League.

Unlucky for Some


From the first minute of the first leg, it was clear that Barcelona vs Inter Milan was going to be a Champions League clash for the ages. Marcus Thuram’s audacious backheel gave the Italians the lead after just 30 seconds at Barca’s temporary Olympic Stadium home; setting into motion the chain of events that would yield one of the greatest UCL ties in history.

By half-time of that first leg, it was 2-2; goals from wonderkid Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres cancelling out Denzel Dumfries’ strike for Inter. There were two more goals in as many minutes in the second period, with Dumfries’ second quickly cancelled out by an unfortunate Yann Sommer own goal – the Inter goalkeeper left helpless when a Raphinha shot hit the bar and ricocheted into the net via his back.

And so the aggregate score was 3-3 when the teams reconvened at the San Siro a week earlier; any fears of a less dramatic second leg soon kicked to the kerb. Inter had soon racked up a 2-0 goal lead on the night, with Lautaro Martinez’s opener followed by Hakan Calhanoglu’s penalty in first-half injury time.

But Barca were far from over, and in a breathless second half they drew level – Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo on the scoresheet – before pulling 3-2 clear courtesy of Raphinha’s late strike. The Spaniards were now 6-5 ahead on aggregate… but, true to form, there would be another twist in the tale. Yamal hit the woodwork, before Inter went down the other end of the pitch and Francesco Acerbi, the 37-year-old centre back thrown forward in desperation, found space and fired home the equaliser.

More? Yes please! This amazing spectacle would now head into extra time, where there would be just one more goal… Davide Frattesi curling home a left-footed strike in the 99th minute to send the San Siro into raptures. And so it ended 7-6 to Inter Milan, a 13-goal epic that tied the most goals scored over two legs in a Champions League match.

Lucky 13


The first time that magic milestone was reached came back in 2009… although the vibe was rather different between Bayern Munich and Sporting Lisbon. Despite hosting the first leg in Portugal, Sporting were trounced 0-5 by their German opponents, with Frank Ribery and Luca Toni doing the bulk of the damage with a brace apiece.

Would Sporting save face in the second leg in Munich? Erm, no. Bayern ran out 7-1 winners, with Joao Moutinho’s goal for the vanquished Portuguese outfit of very little consolation indeed. It was the first time that 13 goals had been plundered in a two-legged Champions League tie and, unsurprisingly, also the first time that a team had notched 12 in the same circumstances.

The second occasion in which 13 goals were scored over two legs in a UCL game saw Liverpool and Roma serve up a 7-6 aggregate epic of their own back in 2018. The first leg, played at Anfield, saw Liverpool in irresistible form; so much so, they romped into a 5-0 lead, with two goals each from Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino.

The tie should have been over as a meaningful contest at that point, but Roma notched two late goals to keep the competitive spirit alive heading into the second leg in Italy. When Sadio Mane netted for Liverpool after just nine minutes, the aggregate score was 6-2 in the Reds’ favour. Game over? The two teams exchanged more goals in the first half, which meant that the half-time aggregate score was 7-3 in Liverpool’s favour.

But this titanic clash would continue on its merry way in the second period, with Roma scoring three more times – the aggregate score was now 7-6 in Liverpool’s favour, with two minutes of injury time left to be played. Would there be another goal? Not on this occasion, and the Premier League side just about came out on the right side of the second 13-goal thriller in Champions League history.

Rangers: Born to Entertain


By our reckoning, Scottish giants Rangers are responsible for the two highest scoring two-legged games in European football history. During the 2020/21 season, Rangers played their part in a 14-goal roller-coaster with Antwerp in the Europa League.

The first leg in Belgium saw a tremendous battle ensue, with Rangers just about coming out on top 4-3… despite trailing 1-3 with less than 30 minutes to play. All hell broke loose at Ibrox in the second leg, but Rangers were able to keep their noses in front and then accelerated away to win 5-2 on the night and 9-5 on aggregate.

But wait, because Rangers played their part in a 16-goal thriller back in 1960… albeit, they came out on the wrong side of things against Frankfurt. They met in the European Cup over two legs, with the German outfit running out comprehensive 12-4 aggregate winners.