Most Dramatic Comebacks in the History of Football
"Always work hard, never give up, and fight until the end because it's never really over until the whistle blows"-Alex Morgan
As sports fans, everyone loves a team that fights until the end and never gives up. Every one loves a team who beats all the odds to triumph in the end. Football is a sport that has thrown up its fair share of dramatic injury time winners and come from behind victories. People say that football is as much about the psychological fortitude of the players as it is about individual skills. The team that triumphs is usually the one that leaves their heart out on the pitch and plays until the whistle blows. In light of Barcelona's record breaking triumph against Paris Saint Germain, lets take a look at the 10 most heart-stopping comebacks in the history of football...
Reading 5-7 Arsenal (2012)
Theo Walcott scored a scintillating hat-trick to spare Arsenal the blushes and send them through to the Quarter Final of the League Cup. Reading were in imperious form, marching to a 4-0 lead inside 35 minutes and it looked as if they would surely stage one of the biggest embarrassments in the history of the competition. Theo Walcott had other ideas and the made the game 4-1 on the stroke of half time. The second half saw Arsenal put in a performance of the highest quality and the second half finished 4-4. Once Arsenal leveled the game they scored a few quick fire goals to end the tie. Whatever is said and done, the game was a true spectacle and showed the dangers of taking your foot of the pedal.
Liverpool 3-3 AC Milan (2005)
Fondly referred to as "The Miracle of Istanbul' by Liverpool fans, this was perhaps the most shocking final ever, given just how poor Liverpool were in the first half. The match is famously remembered by the fact that AC Milan players were already celebrating with Champagne at the half-time interval. Veterans like Seedorf and Gattuso were fuming, but they could not prevent a fighting Liverpool and Steven Gerard from staging a famous comeback in the second half. The Liverpool fans who left the stadium in the first half missed a truly remarkable performance in the second half. A crazy 6 minute spell saw Milan throw the trophy away, but it was one of the the best cup finals of all time.
Newcastle 4-4 Arsenal (2011)
Newcastle were 4-0 down at half time and humiliated in front of their own fans. Arsenal had managed to silence St. James Park with a dominant first half. However this time, Newcastle put Arsenal on the other end of a dramatic comeback with 4 goals in a second half filled to the brim with madness and a raucous crowd. The catalyst for the comeback was when Abou Diaby was sent of early in the second half and the numerical advantage inspired Newcastle. The highlight of the game was undoubtedly Chieck Tiote scoring an absolute worldie 3 minutes from time, prompting wild celebrations among the Newcastle Fans.
Barcelona 4-2 Metz and Barcelona 1-4 Metz (1984) (5-6 on Aggregate)
This was a brilliant comeback-not only in pure footballing terms but also because of the situation that surrounded it. Metz had lost the first let of the Cup Winners Cup 4-2 at home and no one, not even the French media gave them any chance. In the run up to this clash, Metz had lost 6-0 and 7-0 and the match seemed so beyond them that the match was not even broadcast on television. Barca Midfielder Bernd Schuster famously said that he "would give Metz players some Ham to thank them for all the presents they had given. Evidently it was a David vs Goliath match up. Once Barca opened the scoring to 5-2 on aggregate, celebrations began across the town. However that is when Metz roared back, scoring 4 unanswered goals. When the match was over, Metz players asked Barcelona "where is your ham now?"
Manchester United 2-1 Bayern Munich (1999)
One of the craziest and most frantic end to a football match that we have ever witnessed. Bayern Munich were 1-0 and cruising. However Manchester United had been known for scoring late goals in what they called "Fergie Time" so as the clock crept towards full time, Bayern Munich had to weary. What followed was absolute chaos. Manchester United earned 2 corners deep into injury time and converted both of them, prompting wild celebration among the previously silent United supporters. This was to be the hallmark of the Ferguson era and the treble winning side etched their name into the history books.
Spurs 3-4 Manchester City (2004)
When your 3-0 down at halftime in an away FA Cup tie, their is usually no chance of mounting a comeback. In this FA Cup tie, Manchester City were also down to 10 men so the second half felt like it would have been a 'dead rubber'. City fans will be glad that it wasn't as Kevin Keegan inspired the team to score 4 goals and go down in the folklore of the competition.
Juventus 2-3 Manchester United (1999)
Juventus had already secured 1-1 first leg result at Old Trafford but Filippo Inzaghi made the task all the more difficult with 2 goals in the first 11 minutes. The odds were stacked against Manchester United, but "as the going gets tough, the tough get going". Roy Keane is certainly tough and he inspired his side with one of the best, most selfless European performance to drag his team back into the reckoning. Yorke and Keane levelled the game before Andy Cole scored late in the game to secure United's return to the pinnacle of European Football.
“It was the most emphatic display of selflessness I have seen on a football field. Pounding over every blade of grass competing if he would rather die of exhaustion than lose he inspired all around him. I felt it was an honour to be associated with such a player”.- Sir Alex Ferguson on Roy Keane
Barcelona 6-5 PSG (2017)
PSG had shocked football fans around the globe with an emphatic display at the Parc des Prince a month earlier in destroying the Blaugrana 4-0. No team had ever overcome such a massive deficit to win a Champions League tie. Prior to the game Luis Enrique had said that "if they can score 4, why cant we score 5 or 6?". It seemed a futile attempt to salvage something from the tie. What followed was absolute madness. Barcelona controlled the game from start to finish, mustering an incredible 20 shots on goal with 73% possession. They made the game 3-0 with half and hour to go and it looked that they had a chance. Cavani had other ideas and score to make it 3-1 and 5-3 on aggregate, meaning Barcelona needed 3 goals to go through. PSG decided to dead the game but their nerves got the better of them. In the last 8 minutes Barcelona scored 3 goals, including a controversial penalty to stage the most unlikeliest of comebacks the competition has ever witnessed. Neymar inspired his teammates with 2 goals and 2 assists and Sergi Roberto scored the winner in the dying seconds of the game, causing the Camp Nou to erupt into raptures.
Well, there they are, 8 of the most thrilling, dramatic and unlikely comebacks that football fans have ever witnessed. Vote down below in the poll for your favorite and comment who you think is the favorite for this years Champions League? Like and Subscribe if you enjoyed the content!
