UEFA Champions League: Atalanta Joins The List Of Debutant Quarter-Finalists

Atalanta is the latest in joining the select list of debutants reaching the last eight in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. And here are the other clubs that made to the UEFA Champions League on their first entry in the European Cup.

Leicester City: 2016/17 quarter-finalists

The cup won the Premier League title in 2015/16 and it kept its squad intact for the European cup. It was the fourth European campaign for the club. In the earlier three attempts, it didn’t go after the first round.

Málaga: 2012/13 quarter-finals

The club received the fourth-place finish in the 2011/12 Liga but a subsequent budget cut stripped the team of players like Santi Cazorla and Nacho Monreal ahead of the 2012/13 campaign.

Villarreal: 2005/06 semi-finals

It was Pellegrini that lifted the fortunes of the club in 2004 and also during the UEFA Cup quarter-finals. The club continued to be European regulars but Pellegrini moved on leaving the club to fight alone in 2011/12.

Deportivo La Coruña: 2000/01 quarter-finals

The club was one of the top Spanish clubs during 1990s and 1999/2000. During this time, it also won the Liga. Roy Makaay and the Galicians were the star players of the club.

Lazio: 1999/2000 quarter-finals

A strong contender of the Serie A side through the 90s, Lazio faced defeated only by AC Milan 1998/99 title but it emerged victorious in the UEFA Cup.

Bayer Leverkusen: 1997/98 quarter-finals

The club had four second-place finishes between 1997 and 2002. It was an attacking force by Christoph Daum appointed in 1996.

Auxerre: 1996/97 quarter-finals

Guy Roux took over the club in 1964 and made it from the third tier to a … Read the rest