In their long and storied history, Barcelona have achieved most of what is possible in club football. But today offers them an enticing and historic first.
Hansi Flick’s team will be crowned La Liga champions at the Camp Nou if they avoid defeat against Real Madrid in El Clasico. It would be the first time in their history that the Catalan club have clinched the title in a contest against their biggest adversary.
With that uncomfortable thought in mind — for Madridistas, anyway — The Athletic recalls some of the most consequential defeats inflicted by one rival on another. The list below is far from comprehensive, so please let us know in the comments if you think there are any painful losses we have missed out.
Boca Juniors lose historic Copa Libertadores final to River Plate
It is called the Superclasico for a reason; a derby with an intensity regarded as among the fiercest in the world.
In 2018, the Argentine rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate met in the Copa Libertadores final, South America’s equivalent of the Champions League. It remains the first and only time the finalists have been from the same country, other than Brazil.
That year, the second leg of the tie in Buenos Aires was postponed when River fans attacked Boca’s bus on its way to the stadium. Boca players suffered cuts from broken glass and were caught in the tear gas used by police to tackle the crowds.
Riot police block the passage of River Plate fans after the Boca Juniors bus was attacked (Santiago Viana/AFP via Getty Images)
Another attempt at playing it had to be halted, and in the end, South America’s governing football body CONMEBOL decided to stage the game elsewhere — more than 6,240 miles away in Madrid.
Things didn’t get much better for Boca’s players and fans there. River won the game at the Bernabeu 3-1 to secure a 5-3 aggregate win and the trophy. The only small consolation? The location meant only 4,000 fans from each club made the expensive trip, thus sparing many more Boca supporters the ignominy of watching their club’s most painful defeat in person.
Atletico Madrid’s Champions League agony… twice
Few fans know the pain of falling short in finals like Atletico Madrid.
Diego Simeone’s side still crave their first Champions League crown, having twice been losing finalists in 2014 and 2016. Defeats hurt, sure. But the real pain? On both occasions, they were beaten by Real Madrid.
And not just beaten. In 2014, Atletico were winning as the game entered stoppage time, only for Sergio Ramos to head in a 93rd-minute equaliser, and from there Atletico were deflated. Real Madrid had the momentum, winning 4-1 in extra time.
In 2016, it was just as agonising. Ramos — again — scored for Real Madrid, despite being offside, and then Atletico’s Antoine Griezmann missed a penalty before they levelled through Yannick Carrasco with just over 10 minutes to go. Real Madrid, though, prevailed on penalties, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the decisive one.
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring the winning penalty (Clive Mason/Getty Images)
They have been knocked out twice more by their city rivals since then: in the semi-finals in 2017 and the round of 16 in 2025.
Atletico fans can at least cling onto the memory of the 2013 Copa del Rey final, when they lifted the trophy by beating Real 2-1, the first time they had won against Los Blancos in nearly 14 years.
Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles inflict misery on Spurs
Tottenham Hotspur fans have had enough misery this season, so they may want to look away now.
It won’t help their present morale to dwell on April 25, 2004, when Arsenal last won the Premier League title — at Spurs’ former White Hart Lane ground following a 2-2 draw.
Needing only a point, Arsenal raced into a two-goal lead through Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires, only for Jamie Redknapp to pull a goal back in the second half. Robbie Keane then scored late to raise hopes that the ignominy could be avoided. Arsenal prevailed and celebrated with gusto.
It was scant consolation that Wenger’s champions lost to nobody in the league that season.
Arsenal players celebrate winning the 2004 title at White Hart Lane (Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images)
Manchester’s new kings step forward
Anyone for a power shift? How about when Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City tore through defending champions Manchester United to win 6-1 at Old Trafford in October 2011, scoring freely and laying down a marker for what would be their first Premier League title in 2011.
The stats piled up cruelly on United. It was their worst home defeat since February 1955, the biggest derby win for City and proof the club Sir Alex Ferguson once dubbed the “noisy neighbours” were a force to be reckoned with.
The iconic celebration of one of City’s goalscorers that day, Mario Balotelli, was memorable. Fresh from making headlines for accidentally damaging his house with fireworks, the Italy striker scored twice and pulled his jersey over his head to reveal a T-shirt with ‘Why Always Me?’ emblazoned on it.
The 2011 Manchester derby at Old Trafford signalled a changing of the power dynamic in the city (Andrew Yates/AFP via Getty Images)
City’s six goals that October day proved vital later in the season, when City pipped United to the Premier League crown on goal difference after that “Agueroooooooooo” moment.
“It’s the worst result in my history,” Ferguson said afterwards. “The impact will come from the embarrassment of the defeat.”
Sheffield Wednesday relegated against Sheffield United
Relegation is bad enough, but perhaps it doesn’t get worse than this: a proud and once-great club suffering the pain of dropping down to the English third tier courtesy of losing a derby match at the stadium of their rivals.
That was the grim experience of Sheffield Wednesday fans this season. It ensured Sunday, February 22, 2026 will be a date Wednesday and United supporters won’t forget.
Relegation had been a certainty for Wednesday due to an 18-point deduction imposed in the autumn by the EFL for breaches of financial regulations, following a summer that had seen wages go unpaid and a host of key players depart.
But a 2-1 defeat at Bramall Lane meant it would go down as the earliest relegation in Football League history, another painful statistic. Neutrals could only wince and be grateful it wasn’t them.
Inter fan begs ‘Make it stop’
At 6-0, it was the largest margin of victory in the history of the Milan derby — and for one Inter fan, it all became too much.
During the second half of the most one-sided derby victory at the San Siro in May 2001, an Inter supporter ran onto the field and begged Rossoneri defender Alessandro Costacurta to have mercy.
The scoreline was not the only oddity of that Milan derby. It was the first held on a Friday, due to national elections, and afterwards, Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi was magnanimous in victory.
“6-0 was too much,” he said. “I feel sorry for my friend (Internazionale president Massimo) Moratti. He didn’t deserve that.”
Reflecting on it six years ago, Moratti described the anguish in the Inter dressing room afterwards. “I still remember the tears from the players,” he said. “It was happening during the game, as at half-time I went down to the dressing room and some were literally sobbing. Copious tears. It’s not possible, I thought, this lot really are crying. I couldn’t believe it. They were wrecks.”
For politician Berlusconi, it was an especially good weekend. His party won the election, and he became prime minister.
Rangers winning the 1998-99 Scottish title at Celtic Park
Rangers created history by winning the title at Celtic Park after a typically stormy Old Firm clash in which they triumphed 3-0.
Even that achievement, though, was overshadowed in the immediate aftermath by images of referee Hugh Dallas’ head bleeding after he was hit by a missile thrown from the crowd. Dallas’ home was vandalised several hours later.
Three players had been sent off during the game, as Rangers took the title back from Celtic, and a man who had thrown coins onto the pitch later appeared at court with an armed escort and was given a three-month jail sentence.
Afterwards, Rangers manager Dick Advocaat tried to enjoy the achievement amid the chaos. “You could see the rivalry between the teams, but I think about the game, because I’m here for the game. We really deserved to win and over the whole season, if you see that we are 10 points ahead of Celtic, with almost the same side as last season, we did extremely well all year,” he said.
“The expectation is so high if you are a manager of Celtic or Rangers, everyone expects prizes.”
Souness plants a flag at 1996 Turkish Cup final
It was one of Turkish club football’s most iconic and controversial moments.
In April 1996, Galatasaray were celebrating a cherished Turkish Cup final triumph over arch-rivals Fenerbahce when manager Graeme Souness jogged towards the centre circle holding a giant flag in the club’s red and yellow colours.
The Scot proceeded to plant the flag into the turf of the pitch at Fenerbahce’s Sukru Saracoglu Stadium. Cue mayhem.
“Souey ran past me with the flag, and I just said to him: ‘All the best’,” former Wales and Galatasaray striker Dean Saunders, who scored the extra-time winner, told The Athletic last year.
“I watched him do it, thinking: ‘Oh my God, this isn’t going to go down well’. And you know what, it didn’t. Before you knew it, their fans were trying to get over the fences onto the pitch.
“As if losing a cup final to their biggest rivals in their own ground so late on wasn’t bad enough, Souey’s celebrations pushed them over the edge.”
