Top 5 Football Matches of all times

1.Italy vs West Germany (1970 World Cup Semi Final)

This game is often regarded as “The Game of the Century” due to various reasons involved with it. Some of the reason being – 5 goals were scored in this match in the extra time while 1 was in injury time; the sides involved in the match were full of great players and entertainers. The passion and intensity of players involved can be seen from the fact that Franz Beckenbauer had to play this game with a scarf on as he had dislocated his right shoulder in the early phase of the game.

Boninsegna scored a goal for Italy at a very initial stage in the game. He took a left-footed strike from the edge of the box. Then there were no goals scored by either sides for a long time in the match. But the match wasn’t over yet. There was a lot to come, a lot! Just when the Italians assumed they were heading for an easy victory, the German defender Schnellinger scored a goal with a diving header in injury time to level up the scores. Then Gerd Muller’s goal in the 94th minute gave the Germans a lead of 2-1. Burgnich scored a goal the to equalise the scores in favour of Italy 4 minutes later. Now, Gigi Rava came into play and scored another goal for Italy to close the first period of extra time. This made the scoreline 3-2 with Italy leading. The inevitable Muller scored for Germany again to level the scoreline of the game at 3-3. At last, Rivera scored a goal immediately after for Germany to make them win this Semifinal of the World Cup 1970 with a score of 4-3.

2. Liverpool vs AC Milan (2005 UEFA Champions League Final)

AC Milan stunned Liverpool by scoring the first goal in the first minute itself by Maldini. Crespo further increased Milan’s lead by scoring another goal. Till the half time, Milan had increased their lead to 3-0 against the Reds. 

What happened next is regarded as one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the game, which was possible due to the sheer brilliance of the Liverpool’s players. Skipper Steven Gerrard led the way for the Reds with a bang-on header to score the first goal for them in the match. Vladimir Smicer scored another goal for them to take the score to 2-3. Xabi Alonso scored another goal for Liverpool to equalise the scores at 3-3. What’s more interesting and fascinating is that all of this happened for Liverpool in just 6 minutes after the break! Milan didn’t lose hope though, as they created some chances. Yet they couldn’t convert those chances into goals. Liverpool eventually won this match in the penalty shootout. It seemed like destiny had it for Liverpool, as Milan’s gameplay was not inferior to the Reds. The media often calls this encounter ‘The Istanbul Miracle’.

3. Brazil 1-7 Germany (FIFA World Cup 2014)

Brazil reached the semis of the 2014 FIFA World Cup on their home soil. Their journey till the quarters was smooth. But what happened next is one of the most humiliating incidents for them. Germany was playing the game like beasts. They had completely outclassed the Brazilian side. Germany was 5-0 up till the 29 minute. Tony Kroos had scored 2 goals in a span of just 69 seconds. Till the 80th minute, Germany had increased the scoreline to 7-0. The only goal from Brazilian side came in the last minute of the match

The reason for this match being included in the list, even after being such one sider, is the top-level skills and passion with which the Germans played it. Their coordination was brilliant. This is the highest margin win in a world cup Semi Final till date. German captain Miroslav Klose scored his 16th goal in World Cups to break the record of Ronaldo. Germany also went on to win this World Cup.

4. Liverpool vs Chelsea (2008-09 UEFA Champions League 2nd Leg)

In the first leg, Chelsea had taken a lead of 3-1 against Liverpool. So, they needed at least a margin of 3 goals to advance to the next round. Fabiol Aurelio took a free kick to score the first goal for the Reds. Xabi Alonso scored another goal for them to make their lead 2-0. After halftime, Chelsea was back in the game as they scored 2 goals in 6 minutes (51st and 57th). They were scored by Drogba and Alex. Lampard scored a goal to take the scoreline to 3-2 in favour of Chelsea. This was certainly not the end to excitement! Lucas and Kuyt scored goals for Liverpool in the 81st and 83rd minutes to take back the lead from Chelsea. But, finally Lampard scored a goal for Chelsea to take the final score to 4-4, a tie. This crushed the hopes of Liverpool to advance to the semi-finals of the Champions League as their final score after two legs against Chelsea was 5-7. This match was full of nail-biting moments.

5. Argentina vs England (1986 World Cup Quarter Final)

The first half of this game was extremely competitive, but remained goalless. In the second half though, Argentine Diego Maradona went on to score two of the most talked about goals in the history of the game.

In the 51st minute, the ‘Hand of God goal’ happened. Maradona’s hand had touched the ball while trying a header. Yet the referee gave this a valid goal in lack of a proper view. But what Maradona did next, showcased his class and brilliance in the game. After a few minutes, he went on to score “The Goal of the Century” by dribbling past 5 English defenders and then past the English goalkeeper Shilton. Gary Lineker went on to score the first goal for England, but couldn’t change the fate of the match. Argentina won this match by 2-1 and later went on to win the World Cup 1986.