The most amazing football comebacks of all time

There is nothing that thrills most football fans more than an underdog defying all the odds to defeat or share spoils with the favorite. Such events are rare since many teams fail to fight when their opponent is leading with two or more goals. This article covers some historic comebacks in the world of football.

Bayern Munich 6-5 Bochum (1976)

In the 1976–77 season, Bayern Munich had a stronger squad than Bochum. When the two teams met, most fans expected Bayern to win the match effortlessly. However, Bochum performed beyond expectations, and the encounter remains to be one of the greatest comebacks in Bundesliga history.

Bochum started the match by attacking aggressively and against all odds, they dominated the first half. At half-time, the underdog was leading by three goals, two from Harry Ellbracht and one from Josef Kaczor.

In the second period, Hans Pochstein netted the fourth goal for Bochum and many thought that the team had garnered three points. However, Bayern was not ready to give up since they had enough talent to change the score line.

Bayern’s historic turnaround began with an impressive goal from Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. Georg Schwarzenbeck restored the team’s morale by netting the second goal a few minutes later. Gerd Mueller’s double set the score line at 4-4 by the 75th minute, but Uli Hoeness scored for Bochum changing it to 5-4.

However, Holger Trimhold netted for Bayern in the 80th minute, restoring parity at 5-5. Uli Hoeness’ winning goal was a momentous moment for Bayern Munich and German football since the team fought hard to set a historic comeback.

Charlton 7-6 Huddersfield Town (1957)

Huddersfield and Charlton are not popular in the football world since they play in the lower leagues. However, a match between the two teams in the 1957-58 season features among the greatest football comebacks due to the circumstances in which Charlton won the match.

During the event, Charlton’s captain, Derek Ufton, was injured early in the game. In those days, substitutes were not permitted, and the team was disadvantaged since they had to play with ten men. Huddersfield saw that as an opportunity to secure an easy victory since their squad was intact.

Huddersfield controlled ball possession and 27 minutes to the stoppage time, they had thrashed Charlton 5-1. In an unlikely turn of events, John Ryan scored the second goal for Charlton setting the score line at 5-2.

Johnny Summers, a prolific striker, stunned fans when he scored four times to level up the goals. Amazingly, Ryan scored another goal helping Charlton to secure an improbable victory.

Newcastle 4-4 Arsenal  (2011)

In 2011, football fans witnessed drama at St James’ Park when Newcastle garnered an extraordinary point in a match against Arsenal in the Premier League. The Gunners were favorites, and they began the match with a superb first half. At half-time, Arsenal was leading with four goals – a brace from Robin van Persie and two goals from Johan Djourou and Theo Walcott.

After the break, the odds in all sportsbooks were of course heavily in favour of the Gunners. However, Abou Diaby was dismissed at the beginning of second half, negatively affecting Arsenal’s ball possession. With 22 minutes left, Joey Barton scored for Newcastle.

Leon scored the second goal before Barton netted a penalty a few minutes later. Towards the end of the match, Cheick Tiote’s 30-yard kick forced the teams to share the spoils.

Barcelona 6-1 PSG (2017)

The Champions League is one of the most competitive football competitions in the world, and has even inspired a number of football slot games as a result. In the 2016/17 events, PSG had thrashed Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg. Therefore, the latter needed at least 5 goals to proceed to the final eight stages. Barcelona was facing an uphill task since their opponents had an equally strong roster.

Barcelona started the game well and they started leading in the 180th second when Luis Suarez scored the opening goal. Unfortunately, Layvin Kurzawa scored an own goal giving Barcelona a 2-0 lead.

Moments later, Lionel Messi scored the third goal before Edinson Cavani changed the score line to 3-1. The La Liga giants netted twice to level the aggregate goals, but the away rule favored PSG. In the 95th minute, Sergi Roberto’s goal put Barcelona ahead, annulling the away rule and shuttering PSG’s dream to host the cup.

Angola 4-4 Mali (2010)

Angola and Mali might be underdogs in the African football scene, but the two teams hit the headlines during the 2010 AFCON after they drew 4-4 in an entertaining thriller. Angola was hosting the competition and fans had high expectations since their roster was better than most opponents in their group.

In the first half, Flavio scored a brace, increasing Angola’s chances of getting three points. After the break, they netted two penalties, and they were leading by four goals. In the 89th minute, Mali secured their first goal through Seydou Keita. Angolans were unable to stop their opponents who netted three more goals to equalize the scoreline.