The 10 Greatest Sports Comebacks of All Time
#1 Liverpool vs Barcelona: Champions League 2019
Liverpool came back from behind after a first-leg loss to Barcelona, where Lionel Messi scored two goals to give the Catalans a 3-0 advantage going to Anfield. In the return leg, Liverpool were without star forwards Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino. Even with these setbacks, Liverpool, with their incredible home support, attacked relentlessly.
Divock Origi opened the scoring before Georginio Wijnaldum scored twice. Then Origi scored his second of the match after a clever corner from Trent Alexander-Arnold to make it four and take Liverpool through to the final. Liverpool then defeated Spurs in the final to lift their sixth European Cup. An incredible sporting comeback in front of Liverpool supporters who made the atmosphere unforgettable.
#2 Rafael Nadal vs Daniil Medvedev: Australian Open 2022
It was one of the most memorable tennis comebacks of all time as Rafael Nadal won a record 21st Grand Slam singles tournament in Australia. The Spanish icon was trailing two sets to nil and faced an opponent who seemed to be in total control. In the third set, Nadal trailed 2–3 and faced three break points at 0-40 on his serve. He managed to get himself out of that hole and gradually clawed his way back.
After more than five hours of play, Nadal managed to win the match 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5. Coming back from two sets down against a top player like Medvedev showed incredible endurance, skill, and mental strength. This is why Rafael Nadal will go down as one of the best tennis players ever.
#3 Leicester City: Premier League Champions 2015/2016
It may not be a single comeback win, but Leicester City winning the Premier League in 2016 was an impossible task. The club had just avoided relegation the season before, and the bookmakers had the club as 5,000/1 outsiders to win the Premier League. Under Italian manager Claudio Ranieri, Leicester surprised everyone.
The key players for Leicester that season were Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, and N’Golo Kante, who all helped the club challenge the top teams in the league. In the end, Leicester managed to famously win the Premier League by 10 points ahead of Arsenal in second place. An unbelievable story that will never be forgotten in the Premier League and will be difficult to ever replicate.
Unlike a single-match turnaround, Leicester’s comeback was a 38-game endurance test, proving that sustained resilience can defy all mathematical odds.
#4 Tiger Woods: The Masters 2019
Not all sporting comebacks take place in one match; sometimes an athlete’s greatest victory comes after years of setbacks. Tiger Woods was once the dominant figure in golf, but serious injuries, many back surgeries, and personal issues derailed his career. There were lots of experts who questioned if he would ever win another tournament again.
In April of 2019, Tiger Woods managed to produce an incredible performance in Augusta to lift the Masters trophy. It was his fifth Masters victory and his 15th major championship throughout his career. Remarkably, this came 11 years after his previous major championship victory.
It remains an outstanding sporting achievement because of all the personal problems Woods had to overcome to be a champion once again.
#5 Cleveland Cavaliers vs Golden State Warriors: NBA Finals 2016
The Golden State Warriors came into the NBA Finals in 2016 after winning a record 73 regular season games. They took a dominant 3-1 series lead against the Cleveland Cavaliers and were within touching distance of winning another championship. But LeBron James and Kyrie Irving had other ideas and helped Cleveland win games 5 and 6, forcing a final seventh game.
The seventh game was extremely close; LeBron delivered a famous chase-down block, while Irving hit a vital three-pointer late in the fourth quarter. Cleveland managed to win 93-89 and secured the franchise’s first-ever NBA Championship. It was the first time any team came back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals.
#6 Manchester United vs Bayern Munich: Champions League Final 1999
Manchester United’s 1999 Champions League win was one of the most remarkable last-minute turnarounds in all of sports. Bayern Munich took an early lead through a goal from Mario Basler and maintained their advantage for almost the entire game. As the final entered stoppage time, Bayern were certain to become European champions.
But substitute Teddy Sheringham equalised in the 91st minute, and moments later another substitute Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored another from a corner. Manchester United won the game 2-1 in an amazing comeback in the last few minutes, and completed an historic treble after already winning the FA Cup and Premier League.
#7 New England Patriots vs Atlanta Falcons: Super Bowl LI, 2017
This was the greatest Super Bowl comeback of them all, and it took place in Houston. The Atlanta Falcons led the New England Patriots 28-3 during the third quarter. With a large advantage, it seemed obvious Atlanta would lift the trophy, but quarterback Tom Brady had other ideas. The Patriots scored 25 points with an answer to level the game 28-28 and forced overtime.
New England then completed the comeback when James White hit a touchdown, securing a 34-28 win. Brady ended up with 466 passing yards and was named Super Bowl MVP. This remains the largest comeback in Super Bowl history, as no team had ever erased more than a 10-point deficit to win the title.
#8 Barcelona vs Paris Saint-Germain: Champions League 2017
Barcelona’s comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 is one of the Champions League's most dramatic nights. PSG won the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie 4-0 in Paris, meaning Barcelona required a miracle to get through in the second leg.
The Spanish giants led 3-0 early in the second half, but Edinson Cavani scored a crucial away goal for PSG, meaning Barcelona needed three more goals to progress due to the away goals rule.
Neymar scored twice late in the match before Sergi Roberto completed the comeback in stoppage time. Barcelona won 6-1 on the night and 6-5 on aggregate. It was the first time a team had overcome a 4-0 first-leg defeat in Champions League history.
#9 Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees: ALCS 2004
The Boston Red Sox entered the 2004 American League Championship Series with the aim to overcome their fierce rivals. However, Boston lost the first three games of the best-of-seven series. There was no team in Major League Baseball history that had ever overturned a 3-0 deficit to win a post-season series.
By overturning a 3-0 series deficit against their fiercest rivals, Boston not only reached the World Series but went on to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals, breaking the famous 86-year 'Curse of the Bambino.
#10 Liverpool vs AC Milan: Champions League Final 2005
It is known as the Miracle of Istanbul, as AC Milan dominated the first half, taking a 3-0 lead from goals by Paolo Maldini and Hernan Crespo, who scored twice. But everything changed after half-time as Liverpool mounted a memorable comeback. Goals from Steven Gerrard in the 54th minute, Vladimir Smicer, and two minutes later Xabi Alonso made the game 3-3 on the hour mark.
Liverpool scored three goals in just six chaotic minutes to level the game at 3–3, completely paralyzing an elite AC Milan squad.
This is Why Fans Never Forget Sporting Comebacks
The greatest comebacks all have similar qualities; they involve determination, mental strength, tactical awareness, and the ability to play under intense pressure. It also demonstrates how unpredictable sport can be and why we love it. A team can dominate a match but still come out the loser in the end. An athlete can overcome injuries, personal issues, and years without a win but still claw his way back to the mountaintop. This is what makes sport so exciting, entertaining, and enjoyable to witness.