The best matches in the history of football are still being reviewed by connoisseurs and fans of this most popular sport on the planet. When great teams and players appear on the field, they are able to perform real miracles: to score an incredible number of goals, make crazy comebacks, achieve victories when no one else believes in them.
The most incredible comeback
We’ll start talking about the best matches in the history of football with relatively recent events. In the decisive match for the right to be called the strongest club in Europe, the Italian “Milan” and the English “Liverpool” met. The Champions League Final of 2005 will be remembered by many for a long time.
“Milan” confidently went the entire distance, losing once in the group stage. In the playoff stage, problems arose only in the semifinals, when after a landslide victory at home over the Dutch “PSV” 2: 0 Italians lost on a visit away. In extra time, the teams exchanged goals, “Milan” reached the final due to a goal scored away.
At Liverpool, the path was not so simple. The team left the group only bypassing the Greek Olympiacos in additional indicators. And in the semifinals she beat Chelsea, thanks to the only goal in two matches, scored by Luis Garcia.
So, the final of “Liverpool” - “Milan”. The Italians, who were considered the favorites, open an account already at 1 minute, this is done by Paolo Maldini. The English equalize the game, but can’t equalize, and at the end of the first half, the Argentine legionnaire Hernan Crespo draws a double. In the end: “Liverpool” - “Milan” 0: 3.
Many fans were ready to despair, but not the players and coaches of the English club, the second half passed under their dictation. From 54 to 60 minutes, the “Merseysides” turn the game upside down - Gerrard, Spitzer and Alonso write down a goal at their own expense - 3: 3. Until the end of normal time, another half hour, but no one else can print the gate. The fate of the Champions League Cup 2005 is decided in a series of penalty shoot-outs.
“Liverpool” succeeds in a perfect start: Serginho hits above the gate, and Hamann, despite a broken toe, opens the score. Further, the English goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek repulsed the blow of Pirlo, and Cisse doubles the lead. Only with the third attempt, “Milan” manages to implement a penalty, and the goalkeeper of the Italians reflects a blow Riise. Not everything seems to be lost. In the fourth round, both teams are accurate - 3: 2. In “Milan” the fifth strike is performed by Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko, who is unable to outplay Dudek. Liverpool Win.
The most scandalous finale
Incredible tension and scandal was remembered by all fans for the final of the 2006 World Cup . The tournament was held in Germany, but the hosts in the semi-finals lost the Italians in extra time. In the decisive match, Italy and France met. 2006 was the last year in the career of the great Zinedine Zidane. With this game, he ended his career, he also became a hero and the main anti-hero of the confrontation.
The French start assertively and already in the first minutes they earn a penalty, which Zidane just realizes. But the Italians quickly recoup, in the 19th minute Materazzi compares the score. The fate of the 2006 World Cup winner is decided in the penalty shoot-out.
But the most famous episode occurred in 109 minutes - it was a conflict between Zidane and Materazzi. The Frenchman, as a result of a short verbal skirmish, hit his head in the chest of his opponent. Chief referee Horacio Elisondo from Argentina did not see the episode, after talking with an assistant, removed the best penalty kick of the French team. Italy won 5-3 in the series.
Many believe that it was this removal that predicted the outcome of the Italy-France 2006 match. Zidane later explained his behavior like this:
I asked him to stop clinging to my shirt, explaining that after the end of the match and so I can give it to him. After that, he repeatedly insulted my mother and sister. I tried not to react, but sometimes words can be more offensive than actions. His words deeply offended me, and I could not restrain myself, everything happened very quickly.
For a long time, Materazzi refused to explain what happened, even published the book “What I Actually Sayed to Zidane”, in which he cited 250 versions of varying degrees of wit. It is possible that he deliberately tried to provoke the Frenchman.
The longest football match
Of course, the longest football match took place outside of official competitions. Such friendly meetings are often arranged in different countries of the world, teams play for more than a day, the rosters are constantly changing, the main thing in such confrontations, of course, is not the result, but love and devotion to football.
The record was set in 2015 in England. The match at St. Mary's Stadium in Southampton was included in the Guinness Book of Records, as it lasted non-stop for 102 hours. Teams were divided into “white” and “red”, 18 members were announced as part of each team. The Reds eventually won with a score of 910: 725. The game lasted more than four days, on average, teams scored 320 goals a day, approximately one goal every 5 minutes.
Rescue in the last seconds
Among the best matches in the history of football there are many fights in which goals scored in the last seconds decide everything. For example, such a meeting took place in 2000 in the Euro semi-final. The teams of Portugal and France met in it. Prior to this, the French reached the playoffs from second place in the group, losing only to the Dutch (2: 3), and defeated Spain in the quarter finals (2: 1). The Portuguese team won three victories in the group, beating the British, Romanians and Germans, and the latter 3-0. And in the quarterfinals, she confidently prevailed over Turkey (2: 0).
Semifinal confrontation was not easy. The Portuguese opened an account in the 19th minute, this was done by Nuno Gomes. France was able to recoup at the beginning of the second half with the help of Henry. The main time of the match did not reveal the winner, it was a matter of sorting out the relationship in the penalty shoot-out.
The tragic outcome for the Portuguese came in 117 minutes, when the main referee of the match, the Austrian Gunter Benke, recorded a violation in their penalty area. Zinedine Zidane kick from the penalty spot was impeccable, burying the hopes of the Portuguese. So ended the match France - Portugal at the 2000 European Championships. By the way, in the final, the French outplayed the Italians in extra time, becoming the best on the continent for the second time.
Ferguson's Miracle
Remembering the best matches in the history of football, everyone immediately begins to talk about the Champions League final in 1999. For the title of the best club on the continent, the German “Bavaria” and the English “Manchester United” fought. Interestingly, both teams were in the same group at the preliminary stage. Then the match in Munich ended in a draw 2: 2, and in Manchester the teams played 1: 1. Both were able to get into the playoffs, ahead of the Spanish “Barcelona” and the Danish “Brondby”.
The final confrontation began with the attacks of the Munich team, which were crowned with success. Already at 6 minutes, midfielder Mario Basler opened an account. The British more than once approached the gates of the great Oliver Kahn, but they did not succeed in leveling the score. It is believed that the fate of the fight was decided by the head coach of Manchester United Alex Ferguson, who in the second half released to replace two strikers - Englishman Teddy Sheringham and Norwegian Ole-Gunnar Solskjayer.
In the first minute added to the main time of the match, Manchester earned a corner. Even the Danish English goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel runs into the penalty area to help his team. David Beckham hangs in the penalty area, Schmeichel corrects the ball in the air, York sends him to the thick of the players. Fink manages to knock out a shell, but Ryan Giggs is the first to catch the shot, who shoots towards the goal, and Sheringham sends him to the bottom corner. Manchester puts the game in extra time!
Everyone thought so, except the Norwegian Solskjaer. About half a minute after the game has resumed, the British are entitled to another corner. Beckham hangs again, Sheringham throws the ball to Solskiaer, who drives it just under the crossbar. The scoreboard clock froze 92:17 and the score 2: 1 in favor of “Manchester”.
The Germans were so shocked, having conceded two goals in extra time, that they didn’t even want to finish the game. The chief arbiter, Italian Collin, was not without difficulty able to persuade them to play the remaining one and a half minutes. Of course, this is one of the most spectacular football matches in history.
The main thing is the result
The most successful football match in history was recorded in 1979 in Macedonia. Perhaps he was not the most interesting, but still went down in history. True, in those days the teams of this country were still in the championship of Yugoslavia.
The Ilinden 1903 club from the village of Velgoshti met with the Mladost team from the village of Vapila. The first was to win with the greatest possible score. In a parallel meeting, they played Gradinar from the village of Dolno Lakocheriy against Debarca from Belchishta, who needed to get ahead of Ilinden in terms of goal difference.
The leadership of “Ilinden” agreed with the rivals to play a contractual meeting in which they score as much as they want. The same thing happened in a parallel match, only Debarza also cheated, because of bureaucratic delays, they started the game 22 minutes later in order to know what score their rivals were winning.
As a result, when Ilinden won 20-0 at the beginning of the second half, Debarca was already leading 40-0. After that, two Mladost field players, along with the goalkeeper, were constantly on duty at the gates so that none of the forwards of the opposing team got into an offside position, helping them in every possible way to score if the Ilinden players themselves didn’t succeed.
By the 89th minute, Debarca won 57-0, but Ilinden was already ahead of her. The referee added to the main time about 20 minutes, Debarca won with a score of 88: 0, but this did not help, Ilinden won 134: 1. The best striker of this amazing match was Naum Shapkaroski, who scored 58 goals, while after the game he claimed that he had not taken into account another 18 goals in the official protocol.
"Forget as much as we want"
The most interesting football matches include the confrontation between the national teams of Brazil and Poland at the 1938 World Cup, which took place in France. The Brazilians at that time preached adventurous and spectacular football, paid little attention to defense, but scored phenomenal goals, and in large numbers.
In those days, there was no group stage at the world championship, and all participants started the tournament immediately from the 1/8 final stage, playing the elimination. The Brazilians rivals went to the skilled craftsman of Poland. It was one of the best football matches, an example of a vibrant game with an abundance of goals.
Already in the 18th minute the Brazilian striker Leonidas opens an account. After 5 minutes, Frederic Sherfke regains his balance from the penalty spot, but immediately the Brazilians come forward again, this time forward Romeu is different. Before the break, Perasio scored another goal, the South Americans lead 3: 1.
But the Poles do not think to give up. In the second half, the left striker Ernest Wilimovsky takes the case. By the 60th minute he draws up a double comparing the score. But in 71 minutes Perasio again scored, 4: 3, ahead of Brazil. Opponents do not give up, and at 89 minutes Wilimovsky makes a hat-trick, the referee appoints additional time.
In these half an hour scoring extravaganza continues. At 93 and 104 minutes, Leonidas scores two more goals, making the score 6: 4. The indefatigable Wilimovsky in the 118th minute scores his fourth goal against the Brazilians, but this is not enough, they win 6: 5.
The tactics of the Brazilians worked brilliantly in the game against the Poles. But with such an adventurous game, the Brazilians failed to get to the final. A step away from the decisive match, they lost to the Italians (1: 2), who won the world cup for the second time in a row.
The triumph of the Russian team
The Russian national football team held one of its most striking matches in modern history in 2008 at the European Championships in Austria and Switzerland. The team successfully passed the group stage, having managed to defeat the teams of Greece and Sweden, in the 1/4 finals the Dutch opposed it.
The Netherlands team reached the playoffs from 1st place in the group, leaving no chance of success for Italians, Romanians and French. The confrontation turned out to be stubborn. At the beginning of the second half, Roman Pavlyuchenko opened the score. However, 5 minutes before the final whistle, van Nisterloy equalized the score and transferred the game to overtime.
It was an outstanding half hour of the Russian team. At 112 minutes, Torbinsky literally a meter put the ball into the opponents' goal, and at 116 minutes Andrei Arshavin powerfully and accurately shot from the corner of the goalie's square. The Russian team for the first time in modern history reached the semifinals of the European championship, where they lost to Spain 0: 3.
"Malaga" at the zenith of fame
For the modest Spanish “Malaga” the beginning of 2012 turned out to be simply outstanding. The team finished in 4th place in the Example, leaving Madrid Atletico behind, and got the right to participate in the Champions League.
At the group stage, the club did not suffer a single defeat, in the 1/8 finals he overcame the obstacle in the form of “Porto” (0: 1, 2: 0). And in the quarterfinals of the house he played in a goalless draw with the Dortmund Borussia. The history of football has made a return meeting.
In the middle of the first half, Joaquin led the Spaniards ahead, but before the break, Lewandowski evened the score. It seemed that the denouement came on 82 minutes, when Eliseu made the score 2: 1 in favor of “Malaga”, “Borussia” had to score two goals to go further.
In the first minute added, Royce takes a rebound and compares the score. And at 3 minutes Santana literally puts the ball into the goal of the Spaniards.
The feat of Barcelona
A participant in one of the most beautiful football matches was Barcelona, ​​which many today consider to be the strongest club. In 2017, in the Champions League, the team created a real feat. In the 1/8 finals, the “blue garnet” met with the French PSG. The first match was a failure for the Catalans. In Paris, they lost 0-4, if it had not been for Barcelona, ​​no one would have believed in the success of the team that lost with such a score.
The second leg at Camp Nou began with a quick goal by Suarez in the 3 minute, and just before the break, Kurzawa scored in his own goal - 2: 0. At the beginning of the second half, Messi scores from the penalty spot, it seems that what seemed impossible could come true. But Cavani violates all plans in the 62nd minute, he scores against Barcelona, ​​the score is 3: 1, she now needs to score three more goals in order to reach the next stage.
A miracle happens. At 88 minutes, Neymar scores the fourth goal, and after three minutes he scores from the penalty spot. The decisive ball in the 5 added minute hammered into the goal of Parisians Roberto. Catalans win 6: 1.
True, this did not allow them to advance significantly in the tournament bracket. Already in the next round, “Barcelona” lost away “Juventus” 0: 3, failed to repeat their feat. The second leg ended with zeros on the scoreboard. "Blue garnet" fizzled out. And Juventus in the final lost to Real Madrid 1: 4.