Top 10 Best Football (Soccer) Matches of All Time

There's something utterly captivating about a truly great match. Maybe it's the heart-stopping last-minute goals, the strategic masterstrokes of coaches, the unbelievable comebacks, or the magic moments that seem to defy the laws of physics. Each game has its own narrative, its own drama. You're not just watching 22 players kicking a ball around, you're experiencing a story unfold in real-time.

Now, what's really intriguing is that 'greatness' can mean different things to different people. Is it about the sheer number of goals scored or the quality of those goals? Is it about the tactical genius that outwits a formidable opponent? Or is it the sheer drama and intensity, the electric atmosphere that gets your pulse racing, the kind that keeps you on the edge of your seat from the first whistle to the last?
The Top Ten
1 Manchester United vs Bayern Munich 1999 Manchester United and Bayern Munich faced off in the Champions League final in 1999. The match was held at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain. Despite Bayern leading for most of the match, United scored two goals in injury time to secure a dramatic 2-1 victory and complete a historic treble.

Greatest match of all time. To score 2 goals in injury time is unimaginable given the arena.

Unbelievable match with two amazing goals in extra time.

Man Utd and Munich are both the best teams of the Premier League and Bundesliga.

2 Barcelona vs Real Madrid 2010 In 2010, Barcelona met Real Madrid in a La Liga clash referred to as "El Clásico." Barcelona put on a masterclass at Camp Nou, decimating their rivals with a score of 5-0, marking one of the most dominant performances in the fixture's history.

Bitter match for Real fans. 5 goals and awful playing.

Best game I have ever witnessed.

3 Brazil vs Netherlands 1998 The 1998 World Cup semi-final match between Brazil and Netherlands was a thrilling encounter. The match, played in France, ended in a 1-1 draw, leading to a penalty shootout. Brazil emerged victorious, advancing to the final with a 4-2 win in the shootout.
4 Liverpool vs A.C. Milan 2005 The 2005 Champions League final was an unforgettable contest between Liverpool and A.C. Milan. It took place in Istanbul, Turkey and is known as "The Miracle of Istanbul." After trailing 3-0 at half-time, Liverpool staged an incredible comeback to draw level and ultimately win on penalties.

Hello, hello, here we go! Look at this LFC side compared to Milan's, a gulf in class to say the least. This is the greatest game ever.

Most amazing comeback the world has ever seen, or will ever see.

Don't fight it, just accept it. The greatest match ever.

5 Germany vs Brazil 2014 In the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Germany obliterated Brazil 7-1 in the semi-finals. Held in Brazil's own country, this match became infamous as the "Mineirazo," echoing the national trauma of Brazil's loss in the 1950 World Cup. This shocking result is considered one of the biggest humiliations in football history.

Obviously Europe is home to the best football. I must be a racist American even though America did not factor into this humiliation for Brazil. Toughen up, buttercup.

Top 3 most important football match ever.
The Scene? World Cup Semifinal in Brazil.
The actors? The two best national football teams ever.
The score? 7-1. 5-0 in 29 minutes, nothing as shocking as this ever.

Absolutely astonishing. Every goal seemed like a replay of the previous one.

6 Argentina vs England 1986 The 1986 World Cup quarter-final match between Argentina and England is most remembered for Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" goal and his spectacular solo run, often referred to as the "Goal of the Century." Argentina won the match 2-1, on their way to winning the tournament.

Certainly THE football match by excellence.

Diego's super goal scored in this match.

7 Germany vs England 1990 In the 1990 World Cup semi-final, Germany and England delivered a classic in Turin, Italy. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, leading to a penalty shootout, which Germany won 4-3. This game is often remembered for England player Paul Gascoigne's tears after receiving a yellow card that would have ruled him out of the final.
8 Argentina vs England 1998 In the 1998 World Cup round of 16, Argentina and England played a thrilling match in Saint-Étienne, France. The match ended 2-2 after extra time, with David Beckham famously being sent off. Argentina went on to win 4-3 in the penalty shootout.
9 Barcelona vs Paris Saint-Germain 2017 Barcelona vs Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 is known as "La Remontada," the comeback. Trailing 4-0 from the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16, Barcelona hosted PSG at Camp Nou. In an unforgettable game, Barcelona scored six goals to win 6-1, progressing to the next round on aggregate.

Barcelona was humiliated in the first match against PSG, losing 4-0. But they believed in the comeback when no one did. In the second match, they scored 3 goals and gave hope to the Barcelona fans. This hope was destroyed by Cavani, who scored and put the 3-1 on the scoreboard.

It was in the 87th minute that anyone believed in the comeback. Anyone, but Neymar. He scored in the 88' and 90', and made an excellent pass to Sergi Roberto to score in the 90+5'.

The final score was 6-1, 6-5 in the global score, and Barcelona passed the round making the greatest comeback ever.

10 Liverpool vs Barcelona 2019 Champions League Semifinals Second Leg Liverpool vs Barcelona in the second leg of the 2019 Champions League Semi-finals is remembered as one of the greatest comebacks in football history. After losing 3-0 in the first leg at Camp Nou, Liverpool scored four unanswered goals at Anfield, securing their place in the final and eventually winning the tournament.

Barcelona is winning 3-0 in the First Leg, but Liverpool starts a comeback in Anfield. With 4 goals in the second leg, the reds get into the final of the Champions League Final.

If this had ended with the actual cup itself, it would go down as the greatest of all time. It should be up there as number 2 - behind AC Milan.

Unbelievable comeback. Great quick thinking by Alexander-Arnold.

The Contenders
11 Chelsea vs Bayern Munich 2012 In the 2012 Champions League final, Chelsea faced Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, Munich's home ground. After a dramatic 1-1 draw in regular and extra time, the match was decided by a penalty shootout. Chelsea won 4-3 on penalties, lifting their first Champions League trophy.

What a great Cinderella story. Chelsea overcame the odds to beat the Bavarian giants.

Great game. Chelsea wasn't the best side, but they still won.

12 Italy vs Brazil 3-2 1982 The 1982 World Cup quarter-final between Italy and Brazil was a classic encounter. Played in Spain, the match featured great attacking play from both sides. Italy's Paolo Rossi scored a memorable hat-trick, leading Italy to a 3-2 victory over Brazil and setting the stage for Italy's eventual World Cup triumph.

Oh! Paolo Rossi. How many times has Italy come back?

Best match of all time. Best Brazilian team ever.

13 Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City 2019 In 2019, Tottenham Hotspur faced Manchester City in the Champions League quarterfinals. After winning the first leg 1-0, Spurs lost the second leg 4-3 at the Etihad Stadium. However, they advanced on away goals in a match highlighted by VAR controversy in the final moments.

In the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Finals, there was the best soccer match ever, with an unbelievable tally of five goals in the first 11 minutes.

Absolutely ridiculous game from start to finish, from the first five goals to the last-minute equalizer that ended up being disallowed.

Greatest Champions League game I've seen live.

14 Real Madrid vs Barcelona 2017 Real Madrid and Barcelona clashed in a 2017 La Liga fixture at Santiago Bernabéu. Despite being a man down, Barcelona won 3-2 thanks to a last-minute goal from Lionel Messi, who celebrated his 500th goal for the club.
15 Italy vs West Germany 1970 World Cup The 1970 World Cup semi-final between Italy and West Germany is known as the "Game of the Century." Played at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, it ended in a dramatic 4-3 victory for Italy after extra time, with five of the seven goals coming in the added 30 minutes.

One of the most iconic and greatest matches in World Cup history.

16 Reading vs Arsenal 2012 Reading vs Arsenal in the fourth round of the 2012 League Cup produced one of the most remarkable comebacks in English football. Reading led 4-0 before Arsenal mounted a stunning recovery to win 7-5 after extra time, marking the highest-scoring match in League Cup history.

Had the best comeback in football/soccer history...

17 Manchester City vs Queens Park Rangers 2012 Man City vs QPR in 2012 was a pivotal Premier League match. On the final day of the season, with the title on the line, City scored two injury-time goals to secure a 3-2 win, clinching their first Premier League title in the most dramatic of circumstances.

By far one of the best matches on the last day of the Premier League. I could just remember looking at Ferguson's face thinking he won it until Aguero.
I'm a loner.

Best Premier League title race.

18 Tottenham vs Ajax 2019 The 2019 Champions League semi-final between Tottenham and Ajax was one for the ages. After losing the first leg at home, Tottenham completed a stunning second-leg comeback in Amsterdam. Lucas Moura scored a hat trick, including a goal in the last seconds, to send Spurs to the final on away goals.

Best one-half performance from a single player in the Champions League. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

19 Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid 2014 Champions League Final The 2014 Champions League final was a Madrid derby between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid. Atletico led for much of the match, but a late equalizer from Sergio Ramos sent the game into extra time. Real then scored three more goals, securing a 4-1 victory and their long-awaited "Decima" – a 10th European Cup.

Great victory for Real Madrid to win it for the first time since 2003.

A goal in the last seconds to change everything.

20 Manchester United vs A.S. Roma 2007 Manchester United's 2007 Champions League quarterfinal clash with A.S. Roma resulted in one of the most dominant performances in the competition's history. Played at Old Trafford, the match ended in an emphatic 7-1 victory for United, with the team advancing to the semi-finals on an 8-3 aggregate score.
21 Hungary vs Uruguay 1954 FIFA World In the 1954 FIFA World Cup semi-final, Hungary, boasting the Golden Team led by Ferenc Puskás, overcame Uruguay 4-2 after extra time. This was the first time Uruguay had lost in the World Cup, having won the tournament in their only previous two participations.

After the Battle of Berne, the Magical Magyars had to face the World Champion Uruguay. Puskas couldn't play, but the same was true for Varela, as both were injured. In an amazing match, Hungary won 4-2 in extra time with two header goals from S. Kocsis, the top scorer of the Cup with 11 goals. The media claimed that this was the best match that had ever taken place up until that point.

22 Spain vs Portugal 2018 The 2018 World Cup round of 16 match between Spain and Portugal ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat trick, including a stunning late free-kick to secure a point for Portugal against the reigning European champions.

This was the greatest match I have ever watched. Single player performance vs team performance.

Ronaldo vs Spain 3-3. Although I think Spain played much better and deserved to win.

23 Iran vs United States 1998 The 1998 World Cup group stage match between Iran and the United States was politically charged due to the tense relations between the two countries. Iran emerged victorious, winning 2-1 in what was their first ever World Cup win.
24 Liverpool vs Borussia Dortmund 2016 Liverpool's 2016 Europa League quarter-final clash with Borussia Dortmund at Anfield is remembered for a dramatic comeback. Trailing 3-1 at half-time, Liverpool scored three second-half goals, including an injury-time winner from Dejan Lovren, to triumph 4-3 on the night and 5-4 on aggregate.

1-3 in the 57'.
A goal in the 90+1' put the 4-3 on the scoreboard.
Great comeback at UEFA Europa League.

25 Germany vs Italy 2006 In the 2006 World Cup semi-final, Germany and Italy produced a compelling encounter in Dortmund. After a goalless 90 minutes, Italy scored twice in the last moments of extra time to seal a 2-0 win, earning a spot in the final.
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