Greatest Comebacks In Football (That I've Seen!!)

The cliché goes- ‘Football is a game of glorious uncertainties’. Well, sort of, but it cannot be denied that over 90 minutes and inside those 90 meters, there exists every possibility for any result until the last whistle (well, except a team is winning by 3 or more goals!!). But with counterattacks the preferred strategy for many teams, it’s more likely nowadays to see games with a high number of goals. This holds true especially in the Champions League, where home and away games in the knockout phase can make a team come back from the dead. With that in mind, here are a few games from recent memory which have seen such comebacks (in no particular order).

1.Barcelona vs AS Roma (2017-18 quarterfinal stage, 4-4 aggregate; Roma won on away goals) - An example of how you cannot let your guard down, even when it seems easy. Barcelona won the first leg of this match at home 4-1, with 2 own goals, along with goals from Pique and Suarez seemingly finishing the tie, even though Dzeko eventually got one back for Roma. And what an important goal that would prove to be, as Barcelona completely misread the tie and goals from Dzeko, De Rossi and Manolas proved to be yet another failure for the Catalan club at the European stage for the third season running.

2.Paris Saint-Germain vs Manchester United (2018-19 Round of 16, 3-3 aggregate; Man United won on away goals) – PSG have continuously choked on the European stage, with their huge spending yet to offer any tangible returns. This time, United got in their way. It seemed fine as they completed a routine first leg win away at Old Trafford, with Presnel Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappe netting a goal each. However, on a rainy night in Paris, United, against all odds, trumped the Parisians, with Lukaku netting a brace and Marcus Rashford (pictured below) converting a penalty in injury time. Neymar’s face said it all, at the end of the match.

3.Barcelona vs PSG (2016-17 Round of 16, 6-5 aggregate to Barcelona) – PSG it seems, have made it a habit to make a mockery of themselves in crucial situations. An exciting display by the Parisians at home left Barcelona panting, with them requiring to overcome a 4 goal deficit. At a packed Camp Nou, Barcelona came flying out of the blocks, scoring 3 inside 50 minutes, however a Cavani goal a few minutes later deflated the home crowd, as Barcelona needed 3 more to progress. I remember my sister, who is a Barca fan, losing all hope and going to sleep. Even I had turned off the television. I switched it on in the 90^th minute, and saw the score was 4-1, with Messi readying to take a penalty. He scored, and a few moments later, Sergi Roberto (pictured below) made himself immortal, scoring with the last kick of the game. PSG were left shell-shocked, the Remuntada was complete (some questionable refereeing involved).

Well, these are some of the matches from recent memory that left me wanting more. There are some other matches also, notably 2017-18’s quarterfinal between Juventus and Real Madrid, that Madrid won 4-3 on aggregate owing to a last gasp away goal scored by Ronaldo, as well as the most recent quarterfinal match between English clubs Tottenham and Manchester City, whose second leg is a complete highlight reel (seriously, watch it on YouTube; Tottenham won on away goals). What can I say, Champions League nights are the greatest!