Greatest Champions League comebacks
Liverpool 3-3 AC Milan, 3-2 penalties, 2005 final:
An AC Milan side full of star names were 3-0 up at half-time against Liverpool in the 2005 Uefa Champions League final in Istanbul thanks to a first minute opener from Paolo Maldini and two before the break from Hernan Crespo. But the Reds remarkably pulled it back to 3-3 before the hour through Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso, and then went on to win 3-2 on penalties. The shoot-out is renowned for Jerzy Dudek’s off-putting antics in goal that prompted misses from Serginho, Andrea Pirlo and Andriy Shevchenko to secure Liverpool’s fifth European title.
Deportivo La Coruna 5-4 AC Milan, 2004 quarter-final:
Deportivo La Coruna lost 4-1 away to AC Milan in the first leg of the 2003/04 Uefa Champions League quarter-final. Walter Pandiani fired the visitors in front early only for a barrage to ensue with two from Kaka either side of Andriy Shevchenko’s effort and a fourth from Andrea Pirlo. In the second leg, however, Deportivo came out guns blazing with goals from Pandiani, Juan Carlos Valderon, Albert Luque and Fran Gonzalez to win 4-0, registering what was the biggest comeback in Champions League football until Barcelona came back from 4-0 behind to win 6-5 on aggregate against Paris Saint Germain on Wednesday.
Manchester United 4-3 Juventus, 1999 semi-final:
Everyone talks about Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Bayern Munich at the Nou Camp in the 1999 Uefa Champions League final where they came back from 1-0 down to win with two goals in stoppage-time from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but United’s semi-final comeback against Juventus was also legendary. Ryan Giggs cancelled out Antonio Conte’s effort at the death to draw 1-1 at home in the first leg and at the start of the second leg Filippo Inzaghi got an early brace to make it 3-1 on aggregate. Somehow though Roy Keane — who despite being booked and missing the final was sensational — Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole pulled it back.
Best last-gasp goals:
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer — Manchester United 1999
Mario Basler put Bayern Munich ahead early on in the 1999 Uefa Champions League final against Manchester United at the Nou Camp, and the Germans went on to control throughout until Teddy Sheringham equalised on 91 minutes. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who had just come on as an 81st minute substitute for Andy Cole, then refused to let the game slip into extra-time and penalties. He followed up from a spilled cross from David Beckham headed down by Sheringham to toe-poke in a winner on 93 minutes, leaving the Germans in disbelief and the English in ecstasy in Barcelona.
Sergio Aguero — Manchester City 2012
With Manchester City and Manchester United both neck-and-neck going into the last game of the season, City only had to better what United did at Sunderland in their game at home to relegation-threatened Queens Park Rangers, in order to win their first Premier League crown. United were 1-0 up at City and set to win the league as City were 2-1 down to QPR on 90 minutes. Edin Dzeko equalised on 92 minutes, but it still meant United would take the title. That was until Sergio Aguero drove in a winner on 94 minutes prompting euphoric scenes.
Jimmy Glass — Carlisle United 1999
Carlisle United needed to win their last game of the season at home to Plymouth Argyle to avoid getting relegated from the Football League’s fourth and final tier. They were drawing 1-1 with 10 seconds remaining before keeper Jimmy Glass, playing in only his third match for Carlisle, ran the length of the pitch to come up for a last-gasp corner, which he volleyed in after an initial header was parried clear. Before Glass could even reel away in celebration he was mobbed by a pitch invasion. Scarborough, the side that went down in Carlisle’s place, had just finished their game and were celebrating their “survival” until news of Jimmy’s goal filtered through.