Football is a sport where until the referee blows the final whistle, anything can happen. Victory or defeat can be separated by mere moments. It evokes both jubilation and heartbreak, especially when you've been leading but ultimately fail to maintain the scoreline. Throughout history, there have been plenty of greatest comeback in football history moments that make us watch over and over again, especially if the team staging a comeback is the one we support. In the following article, let's explore with Wintips the Top 10 iconic moments like these.
List reatest comeback in football history
1. Newcastle 4 - 4 Arsenal (2011)
With just 19 minutes left, Newcastle supporters might be forgiven for turning their backs on this match, leaving St. James' Park for the pub. Theo Walcott opened the scoring in the 44th second, before Johan Djourou and Robin van Persie (2) established a commanding lead for the Gunners; a combination of excellent attacking play and formidable defense left the Magpies exhausted.
However, in the second half, Wenger's men exploded, starting from the 50th minute with French international midfielder Abou Diaby. A 50-50 challenge with Joey Barton caused Diaby to lose his temper, grabbing the Newcastle midfielder by the neck and pushing him to the ground before shoving Kevin Nolan, resulting in Diaby being shown a red card by referee Phil Dowd.
Minutes later, the home team seemed to regain energy to mount a counterattack, as Barton scored from the penalty spot after Laurent Koscielny brought down Leon Best, before Best himself made it 4-2 with a shot past Wojciech Szczesny from 8 meters out.
As the match at Gallowgate continued to keep the Magpies pressing and Koscielny faced a real nightmare against Arsenal's defense, Barton quickly converted his second penalty, as Koscielny fouled Mike Williamson. And at the end of the day, as the Magpies threw themselves forward, Cheick Tiote executed a left-footed volley from 20 meters out as Arsenal failed to clear a free kick, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
2. River Plate 5 - 4 Boca Juniors (1972) - Greatest comeback in football history
Perhaps the most thrilling Superclasico ever, this match unfolded in twists and turns before reaching its pinnacle in what was described as a three-act drama. River Plate surged ahead within 60 seconds as Ernesto Mastrangelo found the net, followed by Oscar Mas doubling the lead just nine minutes later.
It was a fantastic start for Los Millonarios, but by the 51st minute, things seemed to have shifted significantly as Boca Juniors staged an impressive comeback of their own. The back-and-forth battle simmered down, and for the next 28 minutes, neither side could break through, locking horns like a pair of unbeatable fighters.
However, it appeared both teams were destined for a split of the spoils until a last-minute scramble saw Morete – a Clasico specialist from the 1970s with eight goals – slot home from close range to hand River a 5-4 victory.
3. Tottenham 3 - 4 Man City (2004) - Greatest comeback in football history
Three years after Tottenham Hotspur squandered a 3-goal lead against Manchester's red half in the Premier League, they repeated the feat against the blue half in their clash in the 2004 FA Cup 5th round at White Hart Lane.
Manchester City under Kevin Keegan, epitomizing the Premier League's Jekyll and Hyde teams at the time, showed exactly in the 90 minutes why they were a rollercoaster ride for their supporters.
With just two minutes remaining, Ledley King blasted past Man City's debutant goalkeeper Arni Arnason from 20 meters out. In the 19th minute, Robbie Keane doubled the home side's advantage with a sublime left-footed strike, while Christian Ziege's direct free-kick in the first half had already made it 3 - 0.
If that wasn't bad enough for Keegan's side, Joey Barton was sent off for dissent during halftime, while talented forward Nicolas Anelka had to leave the field due to injury in the first half, replaced by Jon Macken. However, in the second half, with 10 men, City, seemingly having nothing to lose, decided to assert themselves and take the game to the hosts.
Within three minutes of the second half, Sylvain Distin headed in from Michael Tarnat's direct free-kick to make it 3 - 1, before Paul Bosvelt scored the second soon after. Spurs continued to attack, and Arnason made a spectacular double save to keep the visitors in the game. In the 80th minute, Shaun Wright-Phillips beat Kasey Keller to equalize.
And with just seconds remaining, Tarnat's cross found Macken, who nodded home from close range to secure a stunning 4-3 victory for the 10 men.
4. Tottenham 3 - 5 Man United (2001)
Glenn Hoddle's side, playing with a 3-5-2 formation, dominated United's more standard 4-4-2 formation in the first half, and the experienced attacking pair of Les Ferdinand and former United star Teddy Sheringham were a constant threat. This match stands out as the best in the Premier League in recent memory. Tottenham found themselves trailing after leading 3 - 0.
Dean Richards, making his debut at White Hart Lane, nodded home from a corner to level the score, before Gustavo Poyet set up goals for Les Ferdinand and Christian Ziege. But Manchester United had a convincing response with five unanswered goals, including strikes from midfielders Juan Sebastian Veron and David Beckham.
5. Real Madrid 4 - 0 Monchengladbach (1985, 5 - 5 Agg RM Win on Away Goals)
Trailing 1 - 5 from the first leg in Germany, Gladbach seemed poised to progress against Real Madrid, the reigning champions, on the brink of elimination. However, following victories over Anderlecht and Inter Milan the previous year, the Spanish club displayed their attacking prowess and resilience once more. In front of nearly 100,000 spectators at the Santiago Bernabeu, the team got off to a fantastic start.
In a remarkable turnaround, Real Madrid overturned a 1 - 5 deficit from the first leg against Gladbach. With Jorge Valdano's brace and Carlos Santillana's diving volley securing a 4 - 0 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu. This stunning comeback propelled Real Madrid to the fourth round, where they eventually defended their UEFA Cup title by defeating Koeln in the final.
6. West Germany 3 - 2 England (1970) - Greatest comeback in football history
Meeting again in the quarter-finals of the 1970 World Cup under the scorching heat of Mexico, England and Germany clashed in a memorable encounter. Led by Bobby Moore, the England team seemed comfortable with Alan Mullery's first-half goal added by Martin Peters early in the second half.
However, just 20 minutes later, England's manager Sir Alf Ramsey decided to substitute Bobby Charlton – the English midfielder who had been up against Franz Beckenbauer. Rather than sealing the match, this move only bolstered Die Mannschaft's position, and the legendary Beckenbauer stepped up to take control of the game.
Germany began to press, while the reigning world champions started to wilt under the heat. Uwe Seeler netted in the 88th minute with a close-range header, and in extra time, there was only one winner. Right on cue, in injury time, the winning goal came with a close-range volley from the master poacher of that era, Gerd Muller, securing victory for Germany.
7. AC Milan 3 - 3 Liverpool (2005, Liverpool Won 3 - 2 on Penalties)
Truly unbelievable! That's the shared feeling among those who witnessed the Champions League (CL) final between Liverpool and AC Milan in the early hours of yesterday, May 26th. It was one of the most dramatic matches in football history, and Liverpool became the first team to successfully come back after trailing by 3 goals in a CL final.
After the first half ended with two goals from H. Crespo and the opening goal in the 52nd second by captain P. Maldini, AC Milan seemed to have a firm grip on the championship. But in football, anything can happen! From a somewhat lackluster performance in the first half, the "Reds" completely transformed in the second half, stunning the Italians with 3 goals from Gerrard, Smicer, and Alonso in just 6 minutes, before stepping up to claim victory over Milan 3-2 in a penalty shootout.
8. Bayern Munich 1 - 2 Man United (1999)
Bayern and Man Utd met again in the final that season, at the Nou Camp in Barcelona. The German team took the lead in the sixth minute, thanks to a technically precise free-kick from Mario Basler (left). That 1 - 0 lead was maintained by Bayern until the end of the 90 minutes. Bayern's defense, led by captain goalkeeper Oliver Kahn and center-back Samuel Kuffour, nullified all efforts to equalize from Andy Cole (red), Dwight Yorke, and Beckham for Man Utd.
But just when everyone thought Bayern had secured the championship, Man Utd pulled off a surprise. Two substitute strikers brought on by Manager Ferguson - Sheringham (red, right) and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (red, left) - scored from two David Beckham corner kicks in the 90+1st and 90+3rd minutes. Man Utd reversed the situation to win 2-1.
9. Angola 4 - 4 Mali (2010) - Greatest comeback in football history
In the opening match of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, which took place in the early hours of today, Angola took a commanding 4-0 lead over Mali until the 79th minute of the match. However, Mali eventually left the field with a remarkable 4-4 draw. Trailing 4-0 to the home team Angola with only 15 minutes left in the game, Mali seemed poised to accept a heavy defeat on the opening day.
But they executed a remarkable comeback, scoring four goals in the final 11 minutes of the match. In the 79th minute, taking advantage of a poor clearance by goalkeeper Fernandes, Keita pounced to score, reducing the deficit to 1-4. Nine minutes later, Sevilla striker Kanoute rose high to head home, making it 2 - 4.
And just two minutes later, Mali added another goal. The score was 3-4 for Mali as Keita unleashed a long-range volley, beating Fernandes. And Angola's nightmare 11 minutes ended in stoppage time when Yatabare pounced to successfully convert a rebound after Fernandes spilled the ball from a close-range shot.
10. Man City 3 - 2 QPR (2012) - Greatest comeback in football history
As Sir Alex Ferguson and his team completed their task of defeating Sunderland and focused on gathering information at Etihad Stadium, right in the 90 + 2 and 90 + 4 minutes of stoppage time, Man City staged an incredible comeback: Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero each pierced the Queens Park Ranger's net to propel Man City to the summit of English football after 44 years of waiting.
For many, Man City's victory might have been shocking because QPR had been defending to preserve the scoreline. But in reality, after learning that Bolton had been held to a draw, which meant QPR would still avoid relegation if they suffered a defeat, Mark Hughes's players lost their composure and determination. Therefore, the two goals for Man City seemed inevitable and were a deserved reward for the relentless efforts of the sky blue army.
Conclude
Such reactions from teams that were once on the brink of defeat have changed the course of seasons and the fate of clubs and/or nations in the process. Whether it's counterattacks with multiple objectives in enemy territory, late escapes when all seemed perilous, or simply the bizarre collapse of a seemingly unbeatable side. As neutral fans, the website admin of the bookmaker hopes to see more of these scenarios unfold in the upcoming matches.
See also: The best finisher in football all of time - Is Ronaldo No 1?
