The Memorable Football Matches

The memorable matches in football history are selected base on level of attractive style of play, tactic strategy and historical influence of the match results.

The Memorable International Matches

1950 FIFA World Cup Final

Uruguay VS Brazil was the decisive match of the final group stage at the 1950 FIFA World Cup. The match was played at the Estádio do Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 16 July 1950. Unlike other World Cups, the 1950 winner was determined by a final group stage, with the final four teams playing in round-robin format, instead of a knockout stage. With Brazil one point ahead of Uruguay going into the match, Uruguay needed a win while Brazil needed only to avoid defeat to claim the title of world champions.

Brazil took the lead shortly after half-time through Friaça, but Juan Alberto Schiaffino equalised for Uruguay mid-way through the half before Alcides Ghiggia hit the winning goal with just 11 minutes remaining in the match. The result is considered to be one of the biggest upsets in football history, and the term Maracanazo , roughly translated as "The Maracanã Blow" first became synonymous with the match.

Rating : Attraction AA, Tactic AA, History AAA

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1954 FIFA World Cup Final

The 1954 FIFA World Cup Final was the final match of the 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth FIFA World Cup. The match was played at the Wankdorf Stadium in Bern, Switzerland, on 4 July 1954. The game saw the underdogs West Germany beat the largely favoured “The Magic Magyars” Hungary 3–2. In Germany, it is referred to as "Das Wunder von Bern" ("The Miracle of Bern"). The game was the subject of a 2003 German film of the same name.

The match was played in heavy rain, weather conditions the German side had christened "Fritz Walter-weather", as the German team captain Fritz Walterwas known for playing his best football under those conditions. In addition, the Germans were equipped with footwear supplied by adidas, which had produced a hitherto unheard of design of boot with exchangeable, screw-in studs that could be adapted to any weather. This enabled the German players to wear their regular boots despite the adverse weather. Although he was not fully fit in time, Ferenc Puskás was back in the Hungarian lineup for the final match, and he put his team ahead after only six minutes. When Zoltán Czibor added the second goal for Hungary a mere two minutes later, the pre-tournament favourites seemed destined to ease to victory over Germany, just as they had in the group stages However, Germany equalised quickly, with goals from Max Morlock (10') and Helmut Rahn (18'). Having leveled the scores, the Germans now looked a match for the Hungarians and managed to reach half time at 2–2, with both teams having missed several promising chances to take the lead. In the second half, the Hungarians poured forward looking to retake the lead, but their attempts were repeatedly foiled by the German defence, with goalkeeper Toni Turek pulling off several fine saves. With six minutes left, German striker Helmut Rahn scored West Germany's third goal. Two minutes before the end, Puskás appeared to equalise once more, but he was ruled off-side by the Welsh linesman Benjamin Griffiths. The match and Hungary’s unbeaten run ended in one of the biggest upsets in the history of football. The unexpected win evoked a wave of euphoria throughout Germany, which was still suffering in the aftermath of World War II. This was also the first time since the Second World War that the German national anthem was played at a global sporting event. The 1954 victory is regarded as a turning point in post-war German history by German historians Arthur Heinrich and Joachim Fest.

Rating : Attraction AA, Tactic AAA, History AAA

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1974 FIFA World Cup Final

The 1974 FIFA World Cup Final was the final match of the 1974 FIFA World Cup, the 10th FIFA World Cup, a competition to determine the world champion among national men's football sides. The match was contested by the Netherlands and West Germany, with the West Germans winning 2–1. The Netherlands opened the scoring via a Johan Neeskens penalty in the second minute, only for Paul Breitner to equalise with another penalty in the 25th minute before Gerd Müller scored the winning goal in the 43rd minute, claiming West Germany's second FIFA World Cup.

West Germany was led by Franz Beckenbauer, while the Dutch had their star Johan Cruijff, and their Total Football system which had dazzled the competition. The start of the match was delayed as the ground staff at the stadium had removed the corner flags for the tournament's closing ceremony (which preceded the final) but then forgot to put them back. With just a minute gone on the clock, following a solo run, Cruijff was brought down by Uli Hoeneß in the German penalty area, and the Dutch took the lead from the ensuing penalty by Johan Neeskens before any German player had even touched the ball. West Germany struggled to recover, but they were awarded a penalty of their own in the 25th minute after Bernd Hölzenbein was fouled within the Dutch area. Paul Breitner took responsibility for the kick, and scored. These two penalties were the first to be awarded in a World Cup Final. West Germany now pushed for a winner, which eventually came in the 43rd minute through Gerd Müller. It turned out to be Müller's last ever goal for the West German team, as he retired from international football after the tournament. As the teams walked off the pitch at half-time, Cruijff was booked for arguing with the referee.

The second half saw chances for both sides. Müller thought he had scored when he put the ball in the net, only to be denied by the linesmanflagging for offside. In the 85th minute, Hölzenbein fell to ground in the Dutch penalty area again, but referee Taylor did not believe it was a foul. When the final whistle went, West Germany were crowned world champions for 1974, in addition to their European title from 1972. 

Rating : Attraction AA, Tactic AA, History AA

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1986 FIFA World Cup Quarter-Final

The 1986 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals between Brazil and France is regarded by many as one of the most classic beautiful games in history of football. France faced three-time world champion Brazil in Guadalajara. Brazil were well on top in the early stages, and Careca put them one up after 18 minutes. Five minutes before half-time, France drew level when Michel Platini scored his 41st goal after converting a cross from Dominique Rocheteau. Brazil had a chance to regain the lead in the second half when Branco was fouled by French keeper Joël Bats in the penalty area. Zico got up to take the kick, but Bats saved Zico's penalty.

The match went to extra time, and France had the better of the extra half-hour. No more goals were scored, and so it was time for a penalty shoot-out. Socrates, who had earlier missed an open goal and headed an easy chance straight into the French keeper's arms, failed with the first kick for Brazil. The next six penalties were all converted, and then Platini fired over the bar. Brazil were back on level terms – but not for long. Julio Cesar struck the post with his penalty, and Luis Fernández then scored to put France through 4–3 on penalties.

Rating : Attraction AAA, Tactic AA, History A

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1992 UEFA Euro Final

The final of UEFA Euro 1992 was played on 26 June 1992 at Ullevi in Gothenburg, Sweden, to determine the winner. Denmark had qualified only as a result of the breakup and warfare in Yugoslavia. Denmark took the lead in the first half from a John Jensen right footed shot into the top right hand corner of the net from just inside the penalty box. Denmark sealed the victory with a second goal from Kim Vilfort with 12 minutes to go, Vilfort shooting low left footed in off the bottom-right corner of the post and past Bodo Illgner. The Champion Denmark has been considered by many as one of the most surprising events in history of soccer sports.

Rating : Attraction A, Tactic AA, History AA

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2000 UEFA Euro Final

The final of UEFA Euro 2000 was a football match played on 2 July 2000 at Feijenoord Stadion in Rotterdam, Netherlands, to determine the winner of UEFA Euro 2000. France won the match, defeating Italy 2–1.

Marco Delvecchio gave Italy the lead in the 55th minute and they held on until the final minute of injury time, when Sylvain Wiltord crashed a low drive past Italian keeper Francesco Toldo to take the game into extra time. France won the game just before half-time in extra-time when Robert Pirès cut the ball back for David Trezeguet to fire the golden goal and win the tournament for France.

Rating : Attraction AA, Tactic AA, History AA

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2004 UEFA Euro Final

The UEFA Euro 2004 Final was a football match played on 4 July 2004 at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal to determine the winner of UEFA Euro 2004. The match featured tournament hosts Portugal, who went into the match as favourites, and Greece, playing in only their second European Championship. Both teams had qualified for the knockout stage from Group A of the tournament's group stage, with Greece winning 2–1 in the teams' earlier meeting.

Greece won the final 1–0, defying odds of 80–1 from the beginning of the tournament, with Angelos Charisteas scoring the winning goal in the 57th minute. The champion Greece is one of the most surprising events in history of the game.

Rating : Attraction A, Tactic AAA, History AA

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The Memorable Club Matches

1933 Mitropa Cup Final

The final of Mitropa Cup 1933, was a international club football match played in 3 and 8 September, is one of the greatest games in history of pre-war club competition, was competed between Inter Milan (led by Giuseppe Meazza) and Austria Wienna (led by Matthias Sindelar). The competition was seen to be focused on the two greatest players in the World.  Inter Milan won Austria Wienna 2-1 at the first leg. However, Austria Wienna could back to win in the second leg 3-1

Rating : Attraction AA, Tactic AA, History AA

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1962 Copa Libertadores Cup Final Play-Off

The 1962 Copa de Campeones Finals was the final series of the 1962 staging of South American football's premier club competition, the Copa de Campeones, better known today as the Copa Libertadores. The showpiece event was contested between defending champions Peñarol and Santos. These two teams have long been considered as one of the greatest teams in history of South American club football.  Two-time winners Peñarol were appearing in their third consecutive final, whereas Santos were seeking to win the competition for the first time. Ten teams entered the competition in its third season and, due to the rules in place at the time, Peñarol received a bye into the semifinals and reached the final having won only one match in the semifinal round.

In the semi-finals, Peñarol drew 2-2 on points with classic rivals Nacional after they each won a match. A playoff was contested in order to break the tie; the match ended in a draw and Peñarol went through due to their better total goal difference. Santos breezed past the first round winning three of their matches and drawing once, while scoring an astonishing twenty goals and conceding six. The team contained incredible figures such as the fabulous Coutinho, the legendary Pelé and the great Pepe, among others. After the draw in total scores of the twice final matches, Santos would go on to dethrone Peñarol after winning the playoff 3-0 to win the coveted trophy and become the second champions of this prestigious event.

Rating : Attraction AA, Tactic AA, History AA

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1963 Intercontinental Cup Play-Off

The 1963 Intercontinental Cup was a two-legged football match contested between 1962–63 European Cup champions Milan and 1963 Copa Libertadores winners Santos. It was the fourth edition of the competition. The first leg was played at the San Siro in Milan, on 16 October 1963. Milan won the home game 4–2. The return leg was held the following month, on 14 November, at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro. As Santos won the match 4–2, the two teams were level on points. Therefore, a playoff had to be contested two days later, and Santos won 1–0, thus assuring the trophy.

Rating : Attraction AA, Tactic A, History AA

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1964 Series A Championship Tie-Breaker

The 1964 Series Championship Play-Off was held in June at Stadio Olimpico. It is the only championship play-off match in history of Italian Series A as Bologna and Inter Milan equally finished the season in points but Bologna has more three goals difference. Inter Milan in the mid-60s was called “Le Grande Inter” with a famous catenaccio system while Bologna was also in the peak of its history led by Giacomo Bulgarelli and Helmut Haller. In a result, Bologna won 2-0.

Rating : Attraction AA, Tactic AA, History A

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1989 English Premier League Championship Match

The final match of the 1988–89 English Football League season was contested on 26 May 1989, between Liverpool and Arsenal, at Liverpool's Anfield ground. By sheer coincidence, it was the match between the top two teams in the First Division and the teams were close enough on points for the match to act as a decider for the First Division Championship. Arsenal needed to win the game by at least two goals to take the title, while Liverpool enjoyed home advantage and had won the FA Cup the previous weekend.

Despite being labeled underdogs, Arsenal won 2–0, with a last-minute goal scored by Michael Thomas, giving Arsenal their ninth First Division title and denying Liverpool the chance of a second Double.

The match is considered to be one of the most dramatic conclusions to a league season in the history of the English game. It is also regarded as the starting point of a renaissance in English football and the moment where people started to see the untapped commercial potential of live football on television.

Rating : Attraction A, Tactic A, History AA

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1999 UEFA Champions League Final

The 1999 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match that took place on Wednesday, 26 May 1999. The match was played at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain, to determine the winner of the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League. The final was contested by Manchester United and Bayern Munich. The match is best remembered for Manchester United scoring two last-minute goals in injury time to win 2–1, after having trailed for most of the match.

United's victory was the culmination of their Treble-winning season, after they had already won the FA Premier League and the FA Cup earlier in the month. Bayern were also playing for a Treble of their own, having already won the Bundesliga and earned a spot in the German Cup final; however, Bayern went on to lose in the final.

Referee Pierluigi Collina has cited it as one of the most memorable matches of his career, due to the incredible noise like a "lion's roar" from the crowd at the end of the game.

Rating : Attraction A, Tactic AAA, History AA

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2011 Copa Del Rey Final

The 2011 Copa del Rey final was the 107th final since its establishment. It is one of the most important matches in history of Domestic Cup football. The match was a traditional 'El Clásico' rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid led by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo respectively. The match took place on 20 April 2011 at the Estadio Mestalla, making it the sixth such Copa del Rey final (the last one was played also in Valencia on 5 April 1990), just four days after the two teams played each other in La Liga and seven days before they played each other in the UEFA Champions League first leg semi-final. Real Madrid lifted the trophy for the eighteenth time in their history with a 1–0 victory after extra time.

Rating : Attraction AA, Tactic AA, History A

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2017 UEFA Champion League Round of 16

Barcelona reversed a four-goal deficit in the second leg of their round of 16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain, making it the largest comeback in UEFA Champions League history.  

The game had an impressive attendance of 96,290 despite the home side's heavy defeat in the first game. Barcelona's Luis Suárez scored the first goal of the game in the 3rd minute after heading the ball over the line before it was cleared by Thomas Meunier. In the 40th minute, Paris Saint-Gremain's Layvin Kurzawa scored an own goal in an attempt to block a shot by Andrés Iniesta. The third goal came in the 50th minute via a penalty scored by Lionel Messi after Neymar was fouled by Thomas Meunier. Barcelona's hopes were brought down after Edinson Cavani scored Paris Saint-Germain's only goal in the 62nd minute, leaving them requiring three more to win due to the away goals rule now favouring PSG. Neymar scored two goals in the closing stages – a free kick in the 88th minute and a penalty in the 91st – to make it 5–1. In the final seconds of the match, Neymar appeared once again to deliver a cross into the penalty area, and Sergi Roberto scored their sixth and final goal in the 95th minute, achieving the greatest comeback in the history of the Champions League or its predecessor, the European Champions Cup, with the outcome described as "astonishing", "incredible", and "a miracle" by the media.

Rating : Attraction AA, Tactic A, History A