Football’s greatest games: from Messi’s magnificence to the mighty Magyars

Steven Gerrard hoists the Champions League trophy after Liverpool’s fightback for the ages in Istanbul. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Santos 4-5 Flamengo, 2011

Brazil is the cradle of football and rarely was jogo bonito more evident than in Santos in 2011. Again two main characters: an impudent, precocious Santos teenager called Neymar against an old master back from Europe, Ronaldinho, who rolled back the years to inspire Flamengo to a famous victory from 3-0 down. The match was bedlam, with Flamengo’s goalkeeper, Felipe, taunting Elano (yep, that Elano) with kick-ups after saving his Panenka penalty. Neymar was sensational, scoring two goals, one a mind-boggling solo effort that earned him the Puskas award, as well as winning a penalty and providing a bicycle-kick assist. Ronaldinho responded with a free-kick under the Santos wall before scoring a late winner. The master beat the apprentice but Neymar was catapulted into the stratosphere by the game – and his special goal – before his move to Barcelona.

Italy 4-3 West Germany, 1970 World Cup semi-final

“The Match of the Century” was such a classic that a plaque was soon placed on the outside of the Estadio Azteca with that very description, commemorating a semi-final in which five of the seven goals were scored in extra time – remarkable for a game taking place in Mexico’s mid-afternoon at a venue 2,200 metres above sea level. After Roberto Boninsegna had given Italy an early lead, West Germany equalised in second-half stoppage time through Karl-Heinz Schnellinger despite Franz Beckenbauer dislocating his shoulder in the second half. He had to play on with his arm in a sling and his side’s two substitutions already used. Gerd Müller nabbed two trademark poacher’s finishes in extra time but twice the Italians rallied to square the game, before Gianni Rivera slotted a late winner. Had the Azzurri substitute not struck, the World Cup semi-final would have been decided by a coin toss.

Gigi Riva fires past Berti Vogts to score Italy’s third goal during the match. Photograph: Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images

Barcelona 6-1 Paris Saint-Germain (6-5 agg), 2017 Champions League last 16, second leg

La Remontada. Even with Barcelona’s attacking trident of Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar (MSN) and even with PSG’s penchant for bottling it in Europe, this was the biggest comeback in Champions League history. Down 4-0 from the first leg and despite PSG scoring a crucial away goal at the Camp Nou on the hour mark, Barça somehow scored three goals in the final seven minutes. “Inqualifiable” (“Unspeakable”) L’Équipe exclaimed the next day and, while it is true that PSG froze (Unai Emery’s side completed just four passes after the 88th minute), Barcelona were magnificent: Neymar’s postage-stamp free-kick set up a grandstand finish, Luis Suárez won a controversial penalty (shock), converted by Messi, before the Argentinian set up Sergi Roberto for the winner with PSG just 30 seconds from victory by away goals. “There will be a lot of love made tonight,” quipped Barcelona’s Gerard Piqué.

Sergi Roberto scores Barcelona’s winner in a Champions League comeback for the ages against Paris Saint-Germain at the Camp Nou. Photograph: Bagu Blanco/Bpi/Shutterstock

England 3-6 Hungary, 1953

“Probably the finest exhibition of attacking play that has been seen in an international match in Britain,” wrote the Guardian’s Pat Ward-Thomas in his match report. “The score of 6-3 did the visitors less than justice, and indeed when their sixth goal came after less than an hour’s play no one present would have been surprised had they scored 10.” England’s 6-3 defeat to Hungary revolutionised football. Ferenc Puskas’s Mighty Magyars demolished their hosts at Wembley with a showcase of fluid 4-2-4 tactics and hitherto unseen levels of skill that would dumbfound England. Hungary would repeat the trick in 1954, beating England 7-1 in Budapest, but Wembley made the world take notice of the Magyars, who went into the 1954 World Cup as heavy favourites. Their defeat to West Germany in the final –theMiracle of Bern –was the only match they lost in the six years between 1950 and 1955.

Ferenc Puskas (centre left) scores for Hungary at Wembley and changes English football forever. Photograph: PA