The best comebacks in football history

The most exciting scenario in football is the return to play of a team with no chance of success before or during the match. The history of the most popular sport on the planet is full of brilliant comebacks that prove that nothing is impossible. These encounters are the epitome of the unpredictable, passionate, and often miraculous nature of football. Thanks to such stories, fans support their favourite teams until the final whistle, without leaving the stadium or turning off their screens.

Whether it’s the Champions League or the World Cup, football’s drama offers intense moments for fans worldwide. If you enjoy the thrill of unpredictable outcomes, you might also appreciate the excitement of Leon casino, where luck and skill combine to create unforgettable moments. Experience the thrill of high-stakes action, similar to the unpredictability of these historic matches.

We have chosen 5 matches that made history thanks to incredible and unpredictable comebacks. The main criterion was the complexity of the task faced by the underdog. We took into account several factors: the number of goals needed to get back into the game, how much time the losing team had left, and the importance of the match.

#1. Germany 4:4 Sweden. World Cup qualifying, 2012

In 2012, in the qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, Sweden played an unreal match against Germany, coming back from 0:4 down in 30 minutes. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Mikael Lustig, and Johan Elmander  – each scored a goal within 14 minutes before Rasmus Elm’s strike in the 93rd sealed the camber. Germany missed out on a win for the first time in history after holding a four-goal advantage at the end of the match.

#2. Liverpool 4:0 Barcelona (4:3 on the sum of meetings). Champions League, 2019

Liverpool is the king of comebacks, especially in European competitions. Liverpool lost the first leg of their 2019 Champions League semi-final clash 0-3. The Camp Nou stands and Lionel Messi’s genius boosted Barcelona’s chances of progressing to the final to almost maximum value.

After Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah were injured before the return leg, no one – except the team and coach Jurgen Klopp – believed in Liverpool’s success. Alisson’s miracle save, goals from Wijnaldum and Origi, and Trent’s brilliant corner resulted in Liverpool winning 4-0 and going into the final with Tottenham. After such a collapse, the Reds could not cede the trophy.

Milan 3:3 “Liverpool” (victory of Liverpool on penalties). Champions League, 2005

The German national team had the Miracle in Bern, and Liverpool had the Istanbul Miracle. In 2005, the Reds pulled off the greatest Champions League final. By half-time, Rafael Benitez’s side trailed 0-3 to Carlo Ancelotti’s AC Milan, who were two goals ahead of their opponents.

At half-time, the English club’s fans sang the club anthem – the song “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. It was hardly just the fans’ support that inspired the players to get back into the game. Within six minutes of returning from the dressing room, the Reds scored three goals, survived until the end of extra time, and converted the match into a penalty shootout. In the end, Liverpool took the Champions Cup – the fifth in their history. 

Barcelona 6:1 PSG (6:5 on aggregate). Champions League, 2017

Barcelona battled back from a four-goal deficit in the return leg of the Champions League 1/8 final in the 2016/17 season. In the first leg, the Catalans lost 0-4 to Paris Saint-Germain at Parc de Princes without a chance. It seemed that Messi and his team could forget about their chances for the quarter-finals. As the return match showed, anything is possible with Leo, Neymar, and Luis Suarez in attack.

At Camp Nou, the Catalans led 3-0 by the 50th minute, but Edinson Cavani scored for the Parisians in the 62nd minute. Because of the away goal rule, the Blues needed to score three more times to qualify for the next stage of the competition. By the 87th minute, it seemed an impossible task. But Neymar got his team back into the game with a free kick. In the first minute of extra time, he scored a penalty.

The Spaniards had one goal left to score. Barça laid siege to their opponent’s penalty area, and in the 95th minute, the PSG defense failed to hold out. Neymar crossed to the goalkeeper’s line, and Sergi Roberto sent the ball into the net. The stadium went into a state of euphoria – such a comeback has never happened in the sport’s history.

Ajax 2:3 Tottenham (3:3 on aggregate). Champions League, 2019

Tottenham seemed to have reached a stalemate on their way to the first Champions League final in the club’s history. A 0-1 home defeat to Erik ten Hag’s well-organized Ajax left only a theoretical chance of rectifying the situation in Amsterdam – especially with the striker Harry Kane injured.

Ajax, before the return semi-final, had lost just one game out of their last 24 in all competitions, picking up the Dutch Cup on the way. Home captain Matthijs de Ligt scored from a corner as early as the fifth minute before Hakim Ziyech doubled the home side’s lead ten minutes before the break. Tottenham needed a miracle: three goals in a half without their top scorer.

But they didn’t give up, and Lucas Moura netted a double five minutes after returning to the pitch. Ajax retained their advantage in the encounter thanks to a goal in the first leg, but the game became as open as possible, with chances arising for both opponents. But in the final seconds of stoppage time, Moura scored the third goal of the match and put the North Londoners into the main match of European club football.