The Most Surprising Champions League Semi-Finalists Ever

Lyon's surprise run to the Champions League semi-finals has offered a pleasantly contrasting participant in the competition's final four.

The Ligue 1 side meet a European behemoth in the next round and - should they add Bayern Munich to the growing list of high-profile scalps - will face a club backed by either an entire state or a fizzy drink empire.

Rudi Garcia's side have overcome Juventus and Manchester City in the past two ties with performances coupling discipline and clinical finishing - even if both have been incessantly caveated by the endlessly regurgitated assertion that 'they are the seventh-best team in France'.

While Lyon could still add to their achievements against Bayern, their progress to the final four sees them join the surprise teams gatecrashing the competition's semi-final stage.

1. 1995/96 - Panathinaikos

Panathinaikos only made it into the Champions League group stage by virtue of away goals after a narrow qualifying series against Croatia's Hajduk Split.

The Greek champions - led by club legend Juan Ramón Rocha - topped their group before knocking Legia Warsaw out in the quarter-finals thanks to two goals from Krzysztof Warzycha.

The Polish frontman found the net again in the first leg of the semi-final against Louis van Gaal's Ajax as Panathinaikos secured a surprising 1-0 win in Amsterdam - ending the Dutch club's 22-game unbeaten run in Europe.

But a Jari Litmanen double in the reverse fixture would end the Greens' European adventure.

2. 1995/96 - Nantes

Nantes stormed to the Ligue 1 title the previous season with just one defeat, but were dealt a double blow that summer as they lost their 25-goal striker Patrice Loko and future Champions League winner Christian Karembeu.

The Canaries slipped from first to seventh domestically but enjoyed their most successful run in European competition, losing to the eventual champions Juventus 4-3 on aggregate.

3. 2000/01 - Leeds United

David O'Leary steered a young, exciting (and creatively financed) Leeds United side to their first semi-final of Europe's premier club competition for 26 years.

When the Leeds of Billy Bremner and Johnny Giles won their last four encounter with Barcelona in 1975, it had taken them six games to reach that stage.

In 2001, United had played no fewer than 16 matches before being dumped out of the competition by Valencia.

4. 2003/04 Deportivo La Coruña

Despite Roy Makaay's sale to Bayern Munich that summer (the reigning European Golden Shoe winner) Deportivo La Coruña added one last chapter to the remarkable tale of small town club challenging the established elite of Spain and Europe.

However, Super Depor's continental sojourn had seemingly been brought to an abrupt halt by AC Milan in the quarter-finals.

By the hour-mark of the first leg, Milan had raced into a 4-1 lead. Yet - before Barcelona started granting Champions League comebacks on a yearly basis - Depor achieved the unthinkable, overcoming the three-goal deficit with a 4-0 win at the Estadio Riazor to sneak into the final four.

Ultimately, José Mourinho's Porto would narrowly prevail in the semis but it did little to dampen the historic achievement of a club now set for the third tier of Spanish football.

5. 2005/06 - Villarreal

In Villarreal's debut Champions League campaign, the Yellow Submarine dished out defeats to some notable names on their way to the semi-final. After overcoming Everton in the qualifying rounds, Manuel Pellegrini's side topped a group including Manchester United before edging past Rangers and Inter by virtue of the away goals rule.

Had the brilliantly languid Argentine playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme converted his late spot kick against Arsenal in the semi-final second leg, Villarreal may have even made it to the final.

6. 2010/11 - Schalke

As preparations for Champions League quarter-finals go, replacing the head coach less than three weeks before the first leg isn't the orthodox approach.

Yet, the incoming Ralf Rangnick was able to funnel all of the new manager bounce his appointment brought into their meeting with the defending champions Inter.

Schalke - who would go on to finish 14th in the German top flight - rattled five past the Italian giants at San Siro before completing an emphatic 7-3 aggregate victory in Gelsenkirchen.

Despite a young Manuel Neuer's best efforts in the semi-final, Manchester United ultimately prevailed by an even healthier scoreline.

7. 2016/17 - Monaco

Leonardo Jardim's fleet-footed, youth-infused side were one of the few clubs to embark upon a lengthy Champions League run while topping the table back on home shores.

After defeating Tottenham Hotspur home and away in the group stage, Monaco squeaked past Manchester City, recovering from a 5-3 first leg loss before twice recording victories over Borussia Dortmund.

That summer Monaco were mercilessly picked off by Europe's elite - although not on the cheap. The principality side recouped more than £250m from the sale of just four members of the squad that steered them to the final four.

8. 2017/18 - Roma

The warning signs for Barcelona's latest Champions League humiliation were there when a Roma side stripped of Mohamed Salah (but still featuring Alisson Becker) overturned a 4-1 first leg deficit in the 2018 quarter-finals.

The Giallorossi recorded their best campaign in Europe's top-tier club competition for more than two decades with that sensational turnaround which earned them a spot in the semis and a first kit sponsor in five years.

Domestically though, Roma could only finish third - 18 points shy of Juventus - that season.