November 1991 - the then Champions Cup introduced the group stage for the first time, which started after two knockout rounds, after which the two best teams from the groups played in the grand final.
A year later, the biggest European club competition underwent a major restructuring, the Champions League was born, and with it the group stage, which this December - three decades later - went down in history.
Last night's "group of death" unraveling between Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Newcastle was the last story of the Champions League as we know it. From the next season, this competition will be like the basketball Euroleague with 36 teams in one big group, and each team will play 10 games against different teams.
The best eight will directly secure placement in the round of 9, and the remaining eight will be known after the play-off matches of the teams placed from 24th to XNUMXth place in the table.
Many already claim that the new, so-called "Swiss format", will bring more matches, but less excitement, drama, even less sense...
In any case, during the previous 32 years, the group stage brought many unforgettable matches, moments, moves, heroes, developments...
These are some of them.
Miracle from Vezer
It was December 1993, Werder met Anderlecht in the 1st round, and already after 33 minutes the scoreboard at "Vezer" showed an unreal 0:3 for the host.
Nevertheless, the famous Otto Rehagel, who would win Europe with Greece ten years later, believed in his Werder team - the team from Bremen scored the first goal of the match in the 66th minute, and four more by the end and the scoreboard now looked much better for the home fans - 5:3.
The German media called that match the "Miracle from Weser".
When young Sheva destroyed "Nou Camp"
In 1997, Dynamo Kyiv was an absolute hit in the Champions League, and the giants from Ukraine were led by boys who promised a great career - Andriy Shevchenko and Sergiy Rebrov.
Dynamo "broke" Barcelona in two group matches (3:0 in Kiev and 4:0 in Catalonia), and the match at the "Nou Camp" was marked by Šev with three goals - one of the best footballers of all time presented himself in the right way Europe.
United - Barcelona, two matches - 12 goals
The Champions League final from the 1998/99 season between Manchester United and Bayern at the "Nou Camp" is one of the best in history, and earlier that season, the "devils" had already visited the Catalan temple of football and played one of the best matches ever with Barca (3 :3).
Sonny Andreson and Rivaldo scored for the home team, Dwight York and Andy Cole scored for the second team, and it is interesting that the identical result (3:3) was also seen in their first match at "Old Trafford". In that match, goals were scored for United by Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and David Beckham, and for Barca by Andreson, Giovani and Luis Enrique.
"Little Buddha" football lesson to the champion
In November 1998, Inter welcomed the European champion Real Madrid, and the game at "Meaca" was marked by Roberto Baggio, the famous "little Buddha" - at the age of 31, the bet of the famous turnip and in wide "black and blue" jerseys.
He entered in the middle of the second half, kept a watch on Real and in the end with two goals brought victory to Inter...
The island remembers Batistuta
Fiorentina was part of the Champions League at the end of the last and the beginning of the new millennium, and from that period the goals of the "viola" bomber Gabriel Batistuta are especially memorable.
"Golčina" to win against Arsenal at "Wembley"...
And a "bomb" against the then European champion Manchester United at Old Trafford.
HSV - Juve 4:4
Two former champions of Europe, Hamburger and Juventus, played one of the "craziest" matches in the history of the Champions League in 2000 in the north of Germany, the 4:4 result speaks volumes for that.
At the "Old Lady", Filippo Inzaghi reached a hat-trick, but for HSV, the famous "penalty taker" goalkeeper Hans Jorg Butt also scored, so the frenzy was total.
Gunners torpedoed "Meacu"
Although they were "Invincibles" in England, the Arsenal players had a bad start in the Champions League in 2003/04 and after three rounds they had two defeats. However, Ashley Cole somehow knocked down Dynamo Kyiv in the 88th minute, and then everything was resolved in Milan against Inter - the same club that won 3:0 in London earlier that year.
And, at "Meaca" the gunners were without mercy - Thijeri Andri, Fredi Ljungberg, Edu and Robert Pires danced for an epic 5:1.
Gerard announced Istanbul
Season 2004/05 - Liverpool is about to be eliminated already in the group. In order to advance, Rafa Benitez's boys had to beat Olympiakos at Anfield with at least two goals, and everything became more difficult when Rivaldo gave the Greek team the lead from a free kick.
However, the "Reds" did not give up - Sinama Pongol and Neil Mellor converted, and captain Steven Gerrard scored the go-ahead goal in the 86th minute. Liverpool went through, and later that season in an unforgettable final in Istanbul against Milan, they conquered Europe.
Applause from Madrid for Del Piero
The temple of football and the home of the biggest club on the planet, Real Madrid, does not welcome the players of the other team unless they really deserve it.
And, in 2008, the "Santiago Bernabeu" saw off the then 34-year-old Alessandro del Piero with applause after another unreal game by the Juventus artist.
"Pinturicchio" scored twice in Real's 2-0 victory, the second free-kick years earlier becoming his trademark.
Bale's "taxi for Maikon"
In 2010, Inter was the champion of Europe, and its Brazilian Maicon was the best right back in the world at that time. And then he arrived at "White Hart Lane" and powerlessly ran after Tottenham's sensation Gareth Bale.
The dominance of the Welshman in duels with the Brazilian was then sung by Tottenham fans with the famous "taxi for Maikon".
Messi, Ronaldo and Luiz Adriano
The group stage of the Champions League could hardly have passed without the goals of the symbols of this competition - Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Argentinian wizard has scored the most goals in the history of the group stage (as many as 80), while the Portuguese is in second place with 73. However, Ronaldo holds the record for the number of goals scored in one season of the group stage, as he scored 2015 times in that part of the competition in 11 alone. networks.
When it comes to records, Luiz Adriano "sneaked" in between the two giants, who scored the most goals in one group stage match - as many as five in his Shakhtar's 2013 victory against Bata Borisov (7:0).
Savićević, Mijatović, Vučinić, Jovetić
The group stage did not seem to be too inspiring for Montenegrin footballers, as Dejan Savićević and Predrag Mijatović enjoyed the Champions League finals more.
However, among others, the performance of "Genius" against Werder in 1993, Mijatović's goal from "slobodnjak" for Real against Šturm and his former coach Ivica Osim, as well as the goal with which he defeated "his" Valencia in the Fiorentina jersey, are remembered.
The first captain of Montenegro, Mirko Vučinić, also shone in the Champions League, and in 2008 he scored a spectacular goal against eventual finalist Chelsea. He received the ball in his half of the field, was uncatchable for John Obi Mikel, who was not helped even by slipping, and in the end easily beat Petr Cech.
A season later, the then 19-year-old Stevan Jovetić shone on the biggest European stage, scoring two goals in a Fiorentina shirt to defeat Liverpool (2:0).
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