Man Utd’s record in European semi-finals

Manchester United have played in 17 semi-finals in European competitions since they became the first English club to participate at the continental level more than 60 years ago.

This season’s Europa League semi-final against Roma is the club’s 18th and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is determined to deliver a sixth European trophy.

United first played in a semi-final at this level in their first ever season in the European Cup back in 1956/57. It was the peak of the Busby Babes era and that maiden adventure only came to an end with a 5-3 aggregate defeat against reigning champions Real Madrid.

United went to the last four in the European Cup again the following season. But, having knocked out Red Star Belgrade in the quarter-finals, tragedy struck on the journey home when eight players were among those killed in the Munich air disaster.

AC Milan won the delayed semi-final, although a hastily put together United side admirably won the first leg at Old Trafford.

United made it to another semi-final in the Inter Cities Fairs Cup, a forerunner to the UEFA Cup and now Europa League in 1965, but lost to Ferencvaros. A European Cup semi in 1966 also ended in defeat, this time to Partizan Belgrade, and it wasn’t until 1968 when they eventually went all the way and lifted the European Cup that the club actually won a semi-final for the first time.

The 1970s were a dark period in United’s modern history and by the time the team reached the latter stages of the 1983/84 Cup Winners’ Cup it was 15 years since their last European semi.

Sir Alex Ferguson won his first trophy as United manager in 1990 when the club was victorious in the FA Cup. That triumph put them back in the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1990/91, which they also won. It was a first appearance in a European final for 23 long years since 1968.

Despite domestic dominance, United struggled to compete in the earliest years of the Champions League. The breakthrough came in 1996/97 but the journey was ended at the semi-final stage by eventual winners Borussia Dortmund.

The Champions League semi-final against Juventus in 1999 en-route to winning the treble remains one of the standout European ties in United’s storied history, coming back from 2-0 down just 10 minutes into in the second leg to win 3-2 on the night and 4-3 on aggregate.

United lost further Champions League semi-finals against Bayer Leverkusen in 2002 and AC Milan in 2007, before a Paul Scholes stunner was the sole difference against Barcelona in 2008. United then went on to lift the trophy that season by beating Chelsea in Moscow.

United won handsomely in Champions League semi-finals against Arsenal in 2009 and Schalke in 2011, but were thoroughly outplayed by Barcelona in the final on both occasions.

Including Roma in 2020/21, the club’s three most recent semi-finals have all been in the Europa League. Jose Mourinho’s United beat Celta Vigo at this stage of the 2016/17 season, but a one-off semi against Sevilla in 2020 ended in defeat on neutral soil.

Of the 17 European semi-finals that United have played to date, 10 have ended in defeat, with the club victorious and progressing to the final seven times.

Man Utd’s full record in all European semi-finals:

1956/57 European Cup – Real Madrid – L (3-5 agg)

1957/58 European Cup – AC Milan – L (2-5 agg)

1964/65 Inter Cities Fairs Cup – Ferencvaros – L (3-3 agg) beaten 2-1 in playoff

1965/66 European Cup – Partizan Belgrade – L (1-2 agg)

1967/68 European Cup – Real Madrid – W (4-3 agg)

1968/69 European Cup – AC Milan – L (1-2 agg)

1983/84 Cup Winners’ Cup – Juventus – L (2-3 agg)

1990/91 Cup Winner’s Cup – Legia Warsaw – W (4-2 agg)

1996/97 Champions League – Borussia Dortmund – L (0-2 agg)

1998/99 Champions League – Juventus – W (4-3 agg)

2001/02 Champions League – Bayer Leverkusen – L (3-3 agg) away goals

2006/07 Champions League – AC Milan – L (3-5 agg)

2007/08 Champions League – Barcelona – W (1-0 agg)

2008/09 Champions League – Arsenal – W (4-1 agg)

2010/11 Champions League – Schalke – W (6-1 agg)

2016/17 Europa League – Celta Vigo – W (2-1 agg)

2019/20 Europa League – Sevilla – L (1-2) one-off game

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