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          Missing this season's Champions League semifinals? Here are some classics to fill the void

          • Chris Wright, Toe Poke writerApr 29, 2020, 01:01 PM

          Not that we wish to put a downer on things just as we're all getting used to living in lockdown, but this week was originally scheduled to be when the Champions League semifinals kicked off.

          Of course, circumstances have led to the competition being suspended until further notice so instead we thought we'd cast our minds back to memorable final-four clashes of the recent past.

          Presented in chronological order, here are some of the best Champions League semis from the past decade.

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          Inter Milan vs. Barcelona, 2010 (3-2 on aggregate)

          Jose Mourinho's tenacious Inter side upset the order with a brilliant 3-1 win over Barca in the first leg at the San Siro.

          The Nerazzurri then lay in wait for eight days before returning to finish off their quarry with a famous 1-0 no-holds-barred win at the Camp Nou.

          The second leg ended with Mourinho storming around the pitch with his finger aloft while his battle-weary players fell about in exhausted euphoria.

          Chelsea vs Barcelona, 2012 (3-2)

          With a single Didier Drogba goal proving the difference in the first leg, the two teams reconvened at Camp Nou with the tie precariously balanced.

          Quickfire goals from Barca and a red card for John Terry saw the pendulum swing back in the home side's direction before Ramires popped up with a deft finish to restore Chelsea's narrow advantage in first-half injury time.

          As the second half wore on, the hosts piled on relentless pressure and racked up a massive 82% of the possession as siege was laid to the Blues' penalty area.

          Something had to give. That something was Fernando Torres on the breakaway in the 92nd minute.

          Borussia Dortmund vs. Real Madrid, 2013 (4-3)

          Dortmund's place in the final looked assured when Robert Lewandowski stunned Real with a four-goal virtuoso performance in the first leg at the Westfalenstadion.

          However, Cristiano Ronaldo's away goal in Germany almost -- almost -- saw Los Blancos overturn the humiliation as they attempted to exact their revenge at the Bernabeu the very next week.

          They came incredibly close, with two goals in the last 10 minutes ramping up the atmosphere as Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp bristled with nervous energy in the opposing dugouts.

          However, Real were ultimately defeated by the clock as Dortmund held on amid the blizzard.

          Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich, 2014 (5-0)

          Meeting in the semifinals for the second time in as many years, these two continental giants served up a satisfying two-legged heavyweight bout.

          Facing the defending champions, Los Blancos were fuelled by their feverish pursuit of "La Decima" and duly delivered a steamrollering of epic proportions.

          Indeed, Ronaldo sent scoring records tumbling as Real won 5-0 on aggregate before going on to pulverise cross-city rivals Atletico in the final thus finally getting their hands on a 10th Champions League trophy after 12 years of trying.

          Tottenham Hotspur vs. Ajax, 2019 (3-2)

          Already trailing 1-0 from the first leg at their brand-new stadium, Tottenham soon fell even further behind in Amsterdam when goals from Matthijs de Ligt and Hakim Ziyech appeared to consign the Premier League side to their fate even before the half-time whistle.

          Thankfully for Spurs, an inspired Lucas Moura had other ideas and one phenomenal, supercharged hat trick later we had a true modern classic of a comeback on our hands.

          Liverpool vs. Barcelona, 2019 (4-3)

          This is not recency bias: 2019 really was a bumper year for nerve-shredding drama with the other Champions League semi of 2018-19 offering up even more thrills and spills.

          Outclassed and outgunned on the night, Liverpool lost 3-0 to a rampant Barca in the first leg and it looked for all the world like time was up for Klopp's side.

          But it seems as though nobody told that to Divock Origi and Georginio Wijnaldum who, with a brace apiece (including a timeless assist for Origi from Trent Alexander-Arnold's quick corner), ensured the Reds made a comeback for the ages at Anfield just six days later.