Comeback Kings
In what was one of the greatest games of football ever played, Barcelona came back from 4-0 down to beat PSG 6-1 at the Camp Nou in the UEFA Champions League, winning 6-5 on aggregate. Rarely in football does anything ever follow a script; from Leicester winning the Premier League to Celtic beating Barcelona, and last Wednesday night showed it as PSG collapsed as the world watched. Billed as “the Greatest Comeback” Luis Enrique’s team etched their name into sporting history in one of the most surreal nights in European football. Having let the dust settle, and now that everyone has had a chance to catch their breath, what other results and games brought the world to a halt? What else shocked the nations and made social media fall to pieces?The Miracle of Istanbul- In a tie needing no introduction, Liverpool’s 2005 European Cup win will forever be known as a true game of two halves. Trailing three nil down to an AC Milan side dripping with talent, Liverpool were entertained by, ‘Championes’ chants from the opposing dressing room at halftime. What ensued was something special. Local legend Steven Gerrard’s headed chance gave Liverpool a lifeline before Vladimír Šmicer’s shot, and Xabi Alonso’s penalty rebound brought the game level. While ‘Old Big Ears’ flirted with the Italians, it was the Merseysiders who would steal her heart in penalties, following a 3-2 shootout after 120 minutes of football. Paul Lawrie's British Open win- Trailing by ten strokes heading into the final round, the future seemed bleak for Paul Lawrie. Jean Van de Velde’s flawless weekend quickly fell apart when the Frenchman triple bogeyed the hole which meant that the Claret Jug went to Paul Pawrie in one of the most spectacular comebacks in the history of the PGA. Super Bowl LI- The most recent sporting memory on this list is the story of the New England Patriots’ 2017 Super Bowl victory. At the end of the second quarter the Patriots trailed 21-3 to the Atlanta Falcons. Things only got worse heading into the final quarter, with the Pats now trailing 28-3, but star player Tom Brady stepped up, and with a touchdown and a field goal, the Patriots had clawed the game back slowly. Another score brought the game back level, and with only seconds remaining Brady found Amendola, and snatched the Super Bowl title from Atlanta in the dying seconds. Dennis Taylor vs. Steve Davis, 1985 World Snooker Championship- World Champion Dennis Taylor cruised to an early lead, and was soon 8-0 ahead of his counterpart. Despite the odds, Steve Davis managed to win the next six games while Taylor only won one. The next day Taylor’s luck ran out, as the world champion potted the black in the decider, handing the title to Steve Davis. Dynamo Dresden and Bayer Uerdingen- Long since forgotten, but this match up from the 1986 UEFA Cup Winners Cup stands as the greatest ever comeback in European football. Trailing 3-1 from the first leg, Bayer Uerdingen’s mountain only steepened when they found themselves 2-0 down at half time in the away leg. German legends Wolfgang Schafer and Wolfgang Funkel rose in the second half, bagging four of Bayer Uerdingen’s six goals in the second half, sending Uerdingen through to the semi-finals. Manchester United 2-1 Bayern Munich- “Football… bloody hell!” joked Sir Alex Ferguson following his side’s dramatic 2-1 victory over Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final. Trailing one nil for ninety minutes thanks to Mario Basler’s strike inside ten minutes, in a manner which would encapsulate Sir Alex’s reign at United, Teddy Sheringham rose from a corner at the 91st minute to head in an equaliser for the English giants. In the chaos which ensured, Ole Gunnar Solskjær struck amidst a manic moment in the Bayern Munich defence, winning the European Cup for Sir Alex and his men.