Let’s face it, it would take a miracle of loaves and fishes proportions for Estonia to ruin our Euro 2102 party tomorrow night.
However, before we get ahead of ourselves and start making plans for Poland and the Ukraine next summer, here is a timely reminder that, although rare, miracles of these proportions do happen in football. Here are five of the greatest comebacks ever seen in the beautiful game.
European Cup Winners’ Cup, 1986: KFC Uerdingen 7-5 Dynamo Dresden
Perhaps the greatest, if least heard about two-legged comeback in the history of European football. These days, Uerdingen are mired in the lower depths of German football, but they were a force to be reckoned with for a time in the 1980s, when they won the German Cup and that most sought-after of trophies, the Intertoto Cup.
Their finest hour, however, was undoubtedly their European Cup Winners Cup quarter-final win over Dynamo Dresden in 1986. Trailing 2-0 after the away leg, Dresden took a 3-1 lead by half-time and looked to be cruising with a 5-1 aggregate lead. Unbelievably, Uerdingen scored six goals without reply in the second half and triumphed 7-5 on aggregate.
A finger lickin’ good comeback, I think you’ll agree.
Premier League, 2001: Tottenham Hotspur 3-5 Manchester United
In the summer of 2001, Sir Alex Ferguson controversially got rid of Dutch colossus Jaap Stam and brought in ageing Frenchman Laurent Blanc, flaky Argentinean Juan Sebastian Veron and a hitherto little-known Dutchman called Ruud van Nistelrooy. A few erratic performances followed and when United fell to a 3-0 half-time deficit to Spurs at White Hart Lane, numerous pundits had decided that Fergie and United had lost the plot.
By full-time, however, their words were well and truly eaten as United responded with a second half performance full of attacking bravado to turn the game entirely on its head. Blanc, Van Nistelrooy and Veron all got on the scoresheet, as did Andy Cole and David Beckham in probably the greatest comeback the Premier League has ever seen.
It did help United that the Spurs’ manager, Glenn Hoddle, is such a smug and smarmy git that probably thought the game was done and dusted at half-time and transmitted that arrogance through to his players, who utterly capitulated in front of their home supporters.
Champions League, 2004: Deportivo La Coruna 5-4 AC Milan
Entering into the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Deportivo, Milan were reigning champions and comforted by a three-goal advantage they had build up at the San Siro. With a defence containing Cafu, Nesta and Maldini, nobody would have foreseen much difficulty for the Italians in the Riazor Stadium, but Deportivo had other ideas.
By half-time, they lead 3-0 and were set to progress on the away goals rule thanks to first half strikes from Pandiani, Valeron and Luque, while pint-sized veteran Fran added another after the break for good measure. As it was AC Milan that fell apart, the result sent shockwaves around Europe, but unfortunately for Milan, it wasn’t to be the first time they capitulated on the big stage…
Champions League, 2005: Liverpool 3-3 AC Milan (Liverpool win on penalties)
It was always going to be in here, wasn’t it? Because of the circumstances, the occasion and the team it was against, Liverpool’s Champions League Final comeback in 2005 ranks as one of the greatest ever in sport, a comeback so good in fact, that it has even been made into a film.
Trailing 3-0 at half-time to a first minute goal from Paolo Maldini and a brace from Hernan Crespo, a Steven Gerrard-inspired Liverpool had tied the game by the hour mark through Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso, before holding out through extra-time and prevailing on penalties.
The victory was Liverpool’s fifth European Cup triumph and also gave rise to an oft-touted question about the worst ever player ever to win a Champions League medal. What’s the answer? With Djimi Traore, Igor Biscan and Antonio Nunez all in the squad on that night in Istanbul, take your pick.
Jungle World Cup Final, 1994: Coco United 11–10 Amazon Forest
At half-time in the Jungle World Cup Final in the Amazon Rainforest, Coco United trailed 10-0 after a nightmare first half which saw the hosts knock goal after goal past a helpless Osmelda Ostrich between the sticks.
Inspired by the sight of a cup filled with delicious Coco Pops at half-time, Coco United changed approach and began launching an aerial assault on top of star striker Shorty Giraffe, which paid rich, chocolatey dividends and resulted in a thrilling comeback, with Heftie Hippo striking the winner late on.
Unfortunately, the victory was subsequently tainted by the revelation that the milk in the Coco Pops the team digested at half-time contained traces of performance-enhancing nandrolone and the cup was eventually washed and returned to Amazon Forest.
The full story behind one of the greatest games of all time is told in a recently released warts and all documentary, which you can see for yourself below:
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