One of the more remarkable achievements by a team that doesn’t get too much attention has been the ability of FC Copenhagen to make a fortress of their home stadium, not losing a single group stage match in the Champions League when playing at home, no matter the rival.
The team made the group stage for the first time in the 2006-2007 season, drawn with Benfica, Celtic and Manchester United. They did finish fourth in the group but managed 7 points, drawing 0-0 with Benfica, beating Manchester United 1-0 thanks to a Marcus Allback goal and beat Celtic 3-1.
In the 2010-2011 season they actually made it to the knockout stage. They were drawn with Barcelona, Rubin Kazan and Panathinaikos. They started the competition by beating Kazan 1-0 at home (Dame N’Doye), drew 1-1 with Barcelona and beat Panathinaikos 3-1 to finish second in the group, losing to Chelsea in the round of 16, with a 2-0 loss coming at home of all places.
So far in 2013-2014? They played twice at home, once drawing 1-1 with Juventus and now beating Galatasaray 1-0 with an early Daniel Braaten goal, putting them in the thick of the race for the second place in the group behind Real Madrid.
On December 10, they’ll play their final group match against Real Madrid, who might become the next team that fails in beating them at the Parken stadium. There’s a good chance Real Madrid won’t even need the points in that match.