Real Madrid, Manchester City Among 13 Champions League Teams With Perfect Group Stage Records

Only two teams managed to secure victories in all six of their matches during the group stage of this season's Champions League.

This marks the conclusive instalment of the tournament's current format, as a new structure is set to be introduced next year.

On Wednesday, Manchester City achieved a historic milestone by finishing the UEFA Champions League group stage with a perfect record of six wins out of six games, marking the first time in the club's history.

Real Madrid accumulated a total of 18 points across their six encounters with Napoli, Braga, and Union Berlin, per Sports Illustrated.

AC Milan (1992/93)

Milan secured victories in all four matches during the initial two rounds to advance to the first-ever group stage, per GOAL. Marco van Basten played a pivotal role, scoring all four goals in a 4-0 triumph over IFK Göteborg on the opening night.

The subsequent victories included single-goal wins on the road against PSV Eindhoven, both away and at home against Porto, and another away victory at IFK.

The journey continued as PSV was defeated 2-0 at San Siro, propelling Milan to the final. Unfortunately, in Munich, Fabio Capello's team fell short, losing 1-0 to Marseille.

Paris Saint-Germain (1994/95)

Under Luis Fernandez's leadership, Paris maintained momentum, securing a 2-0 victory on Matchday 1 against Bayern München with goals from George Weah and Daniel Bravo. Subsequent 2-1 triumphs on the road against both Spartak Moskva and Dynamo Kyiv firmly positioned them at the top of their group.

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Weah continued to shine, scoring the lone goal at home against Dynamo and away against Bayern while adding two more goals in a dominant 4-1 win over Spartak in the final group fixture. Despite their impressive journey, they faced a setback in the last four, succumbing to a 3-0 aggregate defeat to AC Milan.

Spartak Moskva (1995/96)

Spartak initiated their campaign with a pair of close victories, securing a 1-0 win at Blackburn Rovers and a 2-1 triumph at Legia Warszawa. However, their true form emerged against Rosenborg on Matchdays 3 and 4. After trailing by two goals at halftime in Trondheim, they staged a comeback, ultimately winning 4-2, followed by a convincing 4-1 home success.

Continuing their strong performance, Spartak secured additional victories against Blackburn (3-0) and Legia (1-0), establishing a notable 11-point winning margin. Despite this accomplishment, their journey came to an end in the quarter-finals, as Nantes eliminated Oleg Romantsev's side.

Barcelona (2002/03)

Under Louis van Gaal, Barcelona embarked on a remarkable streak of nine consecutive victories, initiated by a 3-2 triumph against Club Brugge on September 18, 2002. This sequence stood as a Champions League record until Bayern surpassed it in the 2013/14 season.

The impressive run included both home and away victories against Galatasaray and Lokomotiv Moskva, along with another narrow win against Club Brugge. Barcelona finished the group stage with an 11-point lead, matching CSKA's previous record, later equalled by Madrid in 2014/15.

Although they successfully navigated through the second group stage, Barcelona's journey came to an end in the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated by Juventus.

Real Madrid (2011/12)

Los Blancos under Jose Mourinho commenced their campaign with a 1-0 win at Dinamo Zagreb, setting the stage for an unstoppable run. They convincingly defeated Ajax 3-0 and Lyon 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu.

A subsequent 2-0 triumph in Lyon further solidified their dominance before Dinamo became the first, and only, team to breach Madrid's defence in the group stage, although by then the Croatians were already trailing 6-0.

The perfect set of six was completed with a 3-0 victory at Ajax. Unfortunately, Madrid's journey came to an end in the semifinals, where they ultimately bowed out to Bayern on penalties.

Real Madrid (2014/15)

Continuing their championship form from 2014, Carlo Ancelotti's team began their title defence with a resounding 5-1 victory over Basel. They maintained their momentum, completing a flawless second group stage by defeating Ludogorets 4-0 – the 19th win in a remarkable 22-game streak across all competitions.

Although their record-equalling run of ten Champions League victories concluded with a 4-3 home loss to Schalke in the last-16 decider, Real Madrid persevered, reaching the last four. However, they were ultimately outmuscled by Juventus in the semifinals.

Bayern München (2019/20)

Bayern secured the top spot among these teams based on goal difference, having a campaign where they set a record with 16 goals away from home. A notable eight of these goals were scored by Robert Lewandowski, whose total of ten fell just one short of the all-time best. They began by defeating Crvena Zvezda 3-0 at home, followed by a remarkable 7-2 victory at Tottenham Hotspur.

Facing Olympiacos, Bayern emerged triumphant with a 3-2 win away and a 2-0 victory in Munich. They impressively clinched the group as Lewandowski netted four in a 6-0 win at Crvena Zvezda. The flawless run continued with a 3-1 defeat of Spurs, ultimately making Bayern the first team in history to lift the trophy after winning all six group games.

Ajax (2021/22)

Ajax made a sensational start on Matchday 1, securing a remarkable 5-1 victory at Sporting CP, led by a stellar performance from Sébastien Haller, who marked his Champions League debut with four goals.

The Ivory Coast striker continued his scoring prowess, finding the net in all six group games and becoming only the second player to achieve such a feat since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2017/18.

Contributions from players like Antony and Dušan Tadić were noteworthy, particularly in Ajax's 4-0 home victory and 3-1 away triumph against Dortmund.

However, it was Haller's crucial double off the bench in the away fixture against Beşiktaş on Matchday 5 that secured the top spot in Group C. He further solidified his impact by scoring the opening goal as Erik ten Hag's team maintained their perfect record with a 4-2 win over Sporting.

Liverpool (2021/22)

Liverpool supporters might have anticipated a challenging path to the last 16 as the six-time winners found themselves drawn with Atlético de Madrid, AC Milan, and Porto. However, Jürgen Klopp's team dispelled any concerns by showcasing their quality right from the start, narrowly defeating Milan 3-2 at Anfield to set the tone.

This scoreline was replicated in their victory in the Spanish capital, where a late Mohamed Salah penalty proved decisive.

Liverpool continued their impressive form, securing a 2-0 victory against Atlético at home and netting seven goals in their two encounters with Porto. They concluded the group stage with a record-equalling margin of 11 points for a group winner, prevailing 2-1 in Milan on Matchday 6.

Bayern (2021/22)

Two years after completing a flawless group stage for the first time, Bayern once again demonstrated their dominance. Under Julian Nagelsmann's leadership, the team signalled their intent with a commanding 3-0 victory away to Barcelona on Matchday 1. They concluded their clean sweep of group rivals with another 3-0 win against Barcelona at home.

In the interim, Bayern showcased their prowess by defeating Dynamo Kyiv 5-0 and Benfica 4-0. Their first concession of a goal occurred after 308 minutes of action, during a 5-2 home triumph against Benfica, marked by a hat-trick from Lewandowski in his 100th Champions League appearance. The Poland captain continued his impressive form by registering in a 2-1 victory away to Dynamo, securing his ninth goal of the group stage.

Bayern (2022/23)

In a remarkable feat spanning three campaigns within four years, Bayern secured maximum points once again, navigating through a group that appeared particularly challenging on paper.

They swiftly handled their initial challenges in the first two games, starting with a 2-0 away victory against Inter, followed by dispatching Lewandowski's new club Barcelona by the same scoreline in Munich.

Under Julian Nagelsmann's guidance, Bayern continued their dominance with comfortable 5-0 home and 4-2 away victories against Plzeň. They solidified their position atop the group with a commanding 3-0 triumph at the Camp Nou.

The final encounter against Inter mirrored the earlier result, concluding with a 2-0 win that marked Bayern as the first team to amass 18 points on three separate occasions.

Real Madrid (2023/24)

The statistics indicate that Ancelotti's team smoothly navigated through the qualification stage. They triumphed over every opponent, securing a last-16 spot after just four matches.

However, this only tells part of the tale. Real Madrid required a dramatic added-time winner at home against Union Berlin, staged a comeback in Naples, and faced a tough challenge away to Braga – prevailing in each instance by the narrowest margin.

The return fixture against Braga proved more comfortable, but the 14-time winners then encountered a demanding phase. They netted twice in the closing stages to secure a 4-2 victory against Napoli and needed an 89th-minute winner in their come-from-behind triumph against Union Berlin in Germany.

The team achieved a perfect record of six wins in six games, with significant contributions from Jude Bellingham, who scored four goals, and a display of considerable tenacity.

Manchester City (2023/24)

City, only the second English team to achieve this feat, have commenced their quest for consecutive Champions League trophies in an intimidating manner.

Their excellence has been remarkably steadfast, as Pep Guardiola's squad managed to score three goals in each of their six games, even when fielding a significantly altered lineup away to Crvena Zvezda on Matchday 6.

Although it wasn't always smooth sailing, with City falling 2-0 behind against Leipzig on Matchday 5, they staged a comeback that seemed almost inevitable.

Erling Haaland notched five goals, and Julián Álvarez contributed four, but the true standout was City's team ethos and remarkable depth, all achieved with Kevin De Bruyne sidelined due to a long-term injury.

Ancelotti named best in the world

Ancelotti has had a successful career in coaching, winning multiple titles across stints with Juventus, AC Milan, Napoli, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid.

The veteran Italian manager has won 25 major titles throughout his career, including four UEFA Champions League trophies and four UEFA Super Cups.