Football is a sport in which, until the referee blows the final whistle, anything can happen. Victory or defeat can be decided in mere moments. Football evokes both jubilation and heartbreak, especially when you've been leading but ultimately failed to maintain the scoreline. Throughout history, there have been plenty of great comebacks in football that we watch over and over again, especially if the team staging the comeback is the one we support. In the following article, let's explore with Wintips the Top 10 iconic moments like these.
A list of the greatest comebacks in football history
1. Newcastle 4 - 4 Arsenal (2011)
With just 19 minutes left, Newcastle supporters could hardly be blamed for turning their backs on this match, heading to the pub instead of staying at St. James' Park. Theo Walcott opened the scoring in the 44th second before Johan Djourou and Robin van Persie, who scored twice, established a commanding lead for the Gunners. Their combination of fluid attacking play and solid defense left the Magpies completely drained.
However, in the second half, Wenger's men collapsed defensively, with the turning point coming in the 50th minute involving French international midfielder Abou Diaby. A fierce challenge for the ball with Joey Barton led to Diaby losing his temper. He grabbed the Newcastle midfielder by the neck, pushed him to the ground, and then shoved Kevin Nolan, leading to Diaby receiving a red card from referee Phil Dowd.
Minutes later, the home team regained momentum and launched a counterattack. Barton converted a penalty after Laurent Koscielny fouled Leon Best. Shortly after, Best himself made it 4-2 with a shot past Wojciech Szczesny from eight meters out.
As the match at Gallowgate progressed, the Magpies maintained their pressure, while Koscielny struggled defensively. Barton then converted his second penalty after Koscielny fouled Mike Williamson. As the Magpies pushed forward, Cheick Tiote fired a stunning left-footed volley from 20 meters after Arsenal failed to clear a free kick, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
2. River Plate 5 - 4 Boca Juniors (1972) - The greatest comeback in football history
Perhaps the most thrilling Superclásico ever, this match unfolded with twists and turns before reaching its climax in what was described as a three-act drama. River Plate took the lead within 60 seconds when Ernesto Mastrangelo found the net. Nine minutes later, Oscar Mas doubled their advantage.
It was a fantastic start for Los Millonarios, but by the 51st minute, things had shifted significantly as Boca Juniors staged an impressive comeback. The back-and-forth battle continued fiercely, and for the next 28 minutes, neither side could break through, battling fiercely like two evenly matched warriors.
However, it appeared both teams were destined for a draw until a last-minute scramble ended with Morete – a Clasico specialist from the 1970s with eight goals – slotting 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 three-goal lead against Manchester United in the Premier League, they repeated the feat against Manchester City in their clash in the 2004 FA Cup fifth round at White Hart Lane. Manchester City, under Kevin Keegan, was the epitome of a Jekyll-and-Hyde team in the Premier League and perfectly demonstrated their unpredictability over 90 minutes.
With just two minutes remaining, Ledley King fired a powerful shot past Man City's goalkeeper Arni Arnason, who was making his debut, 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 extended the lead to 3-0.
If that wasn't bad enough for Keegan's side, Joey Barton was sent off for dissent at halftime, while talented forward Nicolas Anelka had to leave the field due to injury in the first half, being replaced by Jon Macken. However, in the second half, with only 10 men, City, seemingly determined and with 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. Soon after, Paul Bosvelt scored the second goal. Spurs continued to attack, but Arnason made a spectacular double save to keep the visitors in the game. In the 80th minute, Shaun Wright-Phillips beat Kasey Keller to score the equalizer.
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. Gustavo Poyet then set up goals for Les Ferdinand and Christian Ziege. However, Manchester United responded convincingly 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. However, after victories over Anderlecht and Inter Milan the previous year, the Spanish club displayed their attacking prowess and resilience once again. In front of nearly 100,000 spectators at the Santiago Bernabeu, the team made a fantastic start.
In a remarkable turnaround, Real Madrid overturned a 1-5 deficit from the first leg against Gladbach. Jorge Valdano's brace and Carlos Santillana's diving volley secured a 4-0 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu. This stunning comeback propelled Real Madrid into the fourth round, where they went on to defend 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 faced off in a memorable encounter. Led by Bobby Moore, the England team seemed in control with Alan Mullery's first-half goal, added to 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 strengthened Die Mannschaft's position, and the legendary Beckenbauer stepped up to take control of the game.
Germany began pressing, while the reigning world champions started to wilt under the intense heat. Uwe Seeler netted in the 88th minute with a close-range header. In extra time, there was no doubt about the outcome. 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)
It was truly unbelievable! That was the shared feeling among those who witnessed the Champions League (CL) final between Liverpool and AC Milan on May 26th. It was one of the most dramatic matches in football history, with Liverpool becoming 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 minute by captain P. Maldini, AC Milan seemed to have a firm grip on the championship. However, in football, anything can happen! After a somewhat lackluster performance in the first half, the 'Reds' completely transformed in the second half. They stunned the Italians with 3 goals from Gerrard, Smicer, and Alonso in just 6 minutes, before stepping up to claim a 3-2 victory over Milan in a penalty shootout.
8. Bayern Munich 1 - 2 Man United (1999)
Bayern and Man Utd met again in the final that season, at Camp Nou in Barcelona. The German team took the lead in the sixth minute, thanks to a technically precise free-kick from Mario Basler (shown left). That 1-0 lead was held by Bayern until the end of the 90 minutes. Bayern's defense, led by captain and goalkeeper Oliver Kahn and center-back Samuel Kuffour, nullified all efforts to equalize from Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke, and Beckham for Man Utd.
Just when everyone thought Bayern had secured the championship, Man Utd pulled off a surprise. Two substitute strikers, Sheringham (red, right) and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (red, left), scored from two David Beckham corner kicks in the 91st and 93rd minutes. Man Utd turned the game around 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, Angola took a commanding 4-0 lead over Mali by the 79th minute. However, Mali managed to secure a remarkable 4-4 draw. Trailing 4-0 against the home team Angola with only 15 minutes left in the game, Mali seemed destined for a heavy defeat on the opening day.
But they staged 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 make it 1-4. Nine minutes later, Sevilla striker Kanoute rose high to head home, bringing the score to 2-4. Just two minutes later, Mali added another goal.
Mali pulled one back to make it 3-4 as Keita unleashed a long-range volley, beating Fernandes. Angola's nightmare 11 minutes ended in stoppage time when Yatabare reacted quickly to convert a rebound after Fernandes spilled the ball from a close-range shot.
10. Man City 3 - 2 QPR (2012) - The greatest comeback in football history
As Sir Alex Ferguson and his team completed their task of defeating Sunderland, Man City staged an incredible comeback in the 90+2 and 90+4 minutes of stoppage time at the Etihad Stadium: Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero each pierced Queens Park Rangers' 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 that QPR would still avoid relegation even if they suffered a defeat — Mark Hughes' players lost their composure and determination. Therefore, the two goals for Man City seemed inevitable and were a well-deserved reward for the relentless efforts of the sky-blue army.
Conclusion
Such reactions from teams once on the brink of defeat have changed the course of seasons and the fate of clubs and 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, these moments have left lasting impacts. As neutral fans, we hope 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?
