Article: 150438 of rec.sport.soccer
From: dwindler@uclink2.berkeley.edu (Daniel Windler)
Subject: Greatest Comeback
Date: 18 Feb 1995 12:57:05 GMT
I read the post regarding a match were the Nigerian sub-20 scored 4 goals
in the last minute and wanted to share with you the most amazing (almost)
comeback I've ever (almost) seen.
It was the second round of the Copa Libertadores tournament (it
was 1988 or '89). Boca Jrs. (Argentina) v. Olympia of Paraguay. In the
first leg, Olympia won 2-0 in Paraguay. So Boca would have to win by two
goals to send it to penalty kicks (there is no away goals rule in the
Copa Libertadores).
I began watching the match, and after the first half, Boca was
down 2-0. Boca would score early in the second, but about midway through
the first half, Olympia extended their lead to 3-1. In frustration, I
turned off the game and went out for a walk. As I walked in the street, I
heard all the cars immediately start honking their horns. About a minute
later, the honking started again. I went back into the apartment and
immediately get a call from my cousin... the game was going to penalties...
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
Apparently, after the 3-1, Boca made it 3-2 at around 35 min. of
the second half. They then scored again in the 42nd, 44th, and 45th minute!
Funny (but sad for me) thing is that the penalty kicks reflected
the game. In the last kick in the series of five, Villareal just had to
make the penalty for Boca to advance, but he missed. A couple of series
later, Olympia won.
Argentine television replayed the entire game the following night
b/c they (correctly) figured that most people shut the match off after it
seemed impossible to win. Four goals in ten minutes... in an international
competiton! I've never seen anything like it before or since.
I'd be interested in hearing if there are any comebacks as good
as this one.
--
Daniel
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Article: 150318 of rec.sport.soccer
From: Karel.Stokkermans@risc.uni-linz.ac.at (Karel Stokkermans)
Date: 19 Feb 1995 08:54:42 -0600
It must have been around the same time that Antwerp, after having drawn
1-1 away in Sofia, found itself 1-3 down at home to Levski with only about
three minutes left to play. They needed three goals to go through (3-3
would have been enough for Levski to qualify on away goals), and with
about two or three minutes injury time added, they indeed made the 3
goals to win 4-3 on the night and 5-4 on aggregate.
Another famous case is that of Bayer Uerdingen who had lost 2-0 away
to Dynamo Dresden in a Cup Winners Cup matches in the eighties, and
were 3-1 down at halftime in the return leg. They needed five goals
in the second half to qualify, they got six: 7-3. In a Champions
League match last season, Werder Bremen were 3-0 down to Anderlecht
already into the second half and still managed a 5-3 win.
Though not in international competition, I always found the following
story fairly striking too. It must have been in the late seventies or
early eighties. Utrecht were 1-4 down at home to Excelsior at half time,
but managed to win a league match 7-4. A few months later, Excelsior
hosted Utrecht, and found themselves down at half time, I believe by
0-2. Final score: 7-4 to Excelsior...
Cheers,
Karel
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Article: 150384 of rec.sport.soccer
From: marcelo@PROBLEM_WITH_INEWS_GATEWAY_FILE (Marcelo Weinberger)
Date: Sun, 19 Feb 1995 21:34:12 GMT
Probably not as spectacular in terms of goals as the ones mentioned by
Daniel and Karel, but very, very delightful, was the legendary final of
the 1966 Libertadores. I'm sure our old enough friend Sergio, a River
fan, remembers it...
Pen~arol-River, third game in Santiago, Chile, after each team had won
as hosts. The second game, in Buenos Aires, was played in a very tense
atmosphere, after the not very friendly welcome given by the local fans
to Pen~arol. River did have a formidable, very technical team, with the
Onega brothers, Pinino Mas, the Uruguayans Cubilla and Matosas, Solari
(the Saudi coach in the last WC), and a legendary goalie, Amadeo
Carrizo. Pen~arol was said to be a "tired" team which needed some
renewal, with some old players like Abbadie (back from his Italian
career) and Goncalvez, Pedro Rocha in his best years, Mazurkiewicz (one
of the best goalies of all times), and the two lethal black forwards, the
Peruvian Joya and the Ecuadorian Spencer (the second best center forward
of his time behind Eusebio, in my opinion).
Pen~arol had already lost a final game in Santiago the year before,
against Independiente, despite having eliminated Santos in semifinals.
First half, River is 2-0 up and Sergio was very happy. Not only that: it
was what we call "un baile" (a dance). Second half starts and same
thing, but Carrizo does the worst mistake of his career: he stops a ball
with his chest, trying to show his rivals how inferior they were. At
that moment Pen~arol turned into a machine. Spencer and Rocha equalized.
The game goes to extra-time, and there was only one team in the field.
Joya and, again, Spencer give the victory to Pen~arol. I remember that
in the last goal, a radio commentator said that Spencer puts the ball in
"el arco de Carrizo, que ya no se hace el payaso" (Carrizo's net, whom
doesn't behave as a clown any more). The best soccer memory of my
childhood. Pen~arol went on to beat Real Madrid quite handily in the
Intercontinental Cup, but this one was too easy (2-0 both in Montevideo
and Madrid).
Another legendary come back, is the WC'54 semifinal, Hungary- Uruguay.
The Hungarians were 2-0 up in the first half and seemed to go for one of
their customary easy wins, against the reigning World Champions. In the
second half, however, two goals by Hohberg equalized the game. In the
last minute, another shot by Hohberg is going in... but a puddle stops
it. In extra-time, Hungary wins 4-2. This was the first Uruguayan loss
ever in World Cups, in a game that many people say to be the best of all
times. After the equalizer, the same radio commentator said "el leon
sacude su melena" (I won't translate this one).
Cheers,
--Marcelo
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Article: 150842 of rec.sport.soccer
From: Stephen K Mulrine
Date: Tue, 21 Feb 1995 18:55:00 +0000
In a recent article, archer@hsi.com (Garry Archer) wrote:
>I was involved in a "great comeback" meself (in my golden age ;-)
>In the local Burton and District Sunday League back home in England,
>my team, Church Gresley Youth Club FC were hosting The Brickmakers
>pub side. sometime around 1975-1976.
>The Brickmakers were winning 5-0 at half-time! Final score was 5-5!
I took part in a very similar "great comeback", playing up front for the
83rd (Glasgow) BB 'B' team in a league match against the 44th's 'B' team (I
think) - I occasionally reached the giddy heights of 'A' team substitute.
We were winning 5-1 when I was tripped in the box and sent the resulting
penalty about a yard past the post. This must have inspired our opposition
as they came back to force a 5-5 draw. It was still a moral victory for us,
however, as they had beaten us 16-1 earlier in the season.
One of my greatest moments was as 'A' team sub against our deadliest rivals,
the 118th. (Our geographically closest rivals were the 3rd, but they
couldn't have kicked their way out of a paper bag.) We were losing 3-1 at
half time, and I was sent on. My dazzling wing play baffled team-mate and
opponent alike, and although I didn't score, we ended up winning 5-3 in a
match later dubbed "The Mulrine Friendly". (:
Stephen
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Article: 151053 of rec.sport.soccer
From: archer@hsi.com (Garry Archer)
Date: Mon, 20 Feb 1995 19:06:04 GMT
Another "great comeback" I'll always remember was the 1991 FA Vase Final
at Wembley. Guiseley were 3-0 up over Gresley Rovers in just 30 minutes.
Most teams would have folded, given the way Guiseley were steam-rolling
the Mighty Moatmen at the time, and allowing for a massacre in-place on
the wide-open plains of Wembley's sacred turf. Gresley had the wagons
in a circle, but Guiseley were like sharks in a feeding frenzy (how many
other similies can I muster up to describe the situation?!)
But South Derbyshire grit showed up (hooray, the cavalry had arrived!)
and the Rovers took over. Gresley scored in the 90th minute to make it
3-3 and put the match into extra-time. It was there Gresley went 4-3 up
and the first 30 minutes of regular time were only a bad dream by then.
But it was Guiseley, on the ropes, who needed a last minute goal to force
a replay.
"On the ropes" was a good analogy. It was just like two heavyweights
slugging away at each other. Sir Stanley Matthews said it was the most
exciting Final he'd ever witnessed at Wembley.
Cheers!
Garry Archer Esq. archer@hsi.com
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Article: 151219 of rec.sport.soccer
From: kstokker@risc.uni-linz.ac.at (Karel Stokkermans)
Date: 22 Feb 1995 09:08:17 GMT
tim.brennen@psykologi.uio.no (Tim Brennen) writes:
> In the 1950s or 60s Charlton were 5-1 down at home to Huddersfield, scored
> five times in the second half, Huddersfield equalised, and then Charlton
> scored the winner (thats 7-6, to the mathematically ungifted) -
> Huddersfields manager that day? Bill Shankly.
Ah, this reminds me - the greatest comeback in Dutch history actually saw
Ajax as losers. They had been 5-1 up away to Heerenveen early in the
second half, only to run out 6-5 losers after an Abe Lenstra show. This
is rather long ago though - a few years after the war, before a national
league (or indeed professional football) was implemented in the Netherlands.
The match was part of a six-team play-off for the national title between
the regional division winners.
Cheers,
Karel
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Article: 151264 of rec.sport.soccer
From: Francisco Avillez
Date: Wed, 22 Feb 1995 05:20:21 -0800
The greatest comeback of all times was not one comeback: 3 comebacks in
the same game!!
Benfica was playing in Leverkussen for uefa cup 2 years ago, after a 1-1
draw in Lisbon. Bayer went ahead 2-0 in the first half and everything
seemed lost. A fantastic 2nd half by benfica and soon we were ahead 3-2.
Bayer was not sleeping and they scored twice in few minutes. 4-3 for
Bayer and 5 minutes to go. The incredible happened, Benfica scored again,
another fantastic goal. Final score 4-4 and Benfica went to the
semi-finals, but Bayer deserved it too. Greatest game I ever saw, with 8
beautifull goals and a lot of excitment. I'm sure that if you saw the
game you agree with me.
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Article: 151681 of rec.sport.soccer
From: zolly@aries.win-uk.net (Zolly Littlechild)
Date: Fri, 24 Feb 1995 10:24:06 GMT
Bruce D. Scott (bds@ipp-garching.mpg.de) writes:
>It wasn't a comeback, but I think Poland scored four in ten minutes against
>Peru in the last game of the 1982 Group A first round (the group was
>Poland, Italy, Cameroon, and Peru -- Italy, the eventual champion, scraped
>by Cameroon by one goal, as each had three draws, and Italy two goals).
I've read through all these "Greatest Comeback" posts and you're all
wrong!!!
The greatest comeback of ALL TIME was by Alf Garnett :-)
Saturday morning, sitting at home reading the paper, Mrs Hollingbury
says to Alf,
"You coming shopping wiv me this afternoon?"
Alf, "You must be bloody mad woman, West Ham are at home this afternoon,
I'll be going to the game"
Mrs H, grumpily, "Sometimes I think you love West Ham more than you love
me!"
Alf, mumbling quietly, "I love MILLWALL more than I love you"
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Article: 151959 of rec.sport.soccer
From: sd8@mail.evansville.edu (Svet)
Date: Fri, 24 Feb 1995 08:50:49 +0000
On Fri, 10 Feb 1995, Peter Boone wrote:
> A long time ago (probably in the 50's or 60's) Feyenoord (Rotterdam) had to
> play away to G.V.A.V. (FC Groningen).
> At half time GVAV was leading 5-0, but Feyenoord had a strong come back
> and managed to beat the opposition 5-6.
>
> Apparently Werder Bremen did something similar to Anderlecht in recent time.
> Does anybody know the full story, or about other such victories??
>
-In the late 80's Levski Sofia met with Antwerp Belgium and tied
the first game in Sofia 0:0. Everybody thought it was a bad score which
is true for a first leg. During the second game in Belgium Levski tore
its opponent apart, leading 2:1 Levski scored in the 89 minute through WC
'94 substitute Michtarski to make it 3:1. And then the unthinkable
happened. The referee allowed 7 minutes of extra time and the final score
was 4:3!!! Levski had been eliminated and no one could ever explain what
happened. A few years prior to that, Levski had done a similar thing.
Leading 2:0 from Sofia against Veles Mostar (Yugoslavia) Levski took a
convincing 3:1 lead in Mostar, only to lose 4:3 in the final 7 or 8
minutes. Fortunately then Levski went through.
I remember also an encounter between Anderlecht and Real Madrid
which ended like 5:1 Anderlecht and 4:0 Real or something. Who remembers
those games in the mid 80's? Actually Real had several similar experiences.
Also around that time QPR beat Partisan Belgrade 6:2. The
game in Belgrade was a disasterous 4:0 to Partisan. It was a full house
and I don't have a clue how those fans ever thought of getting thru to
even bother go to the stadium. But it was unbelievable.
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Article: 152823 of rec.sport.soccer
From: ee3cmk@bath.ac.uk (Chris King)
Date: Wed, 1 Mar 1995 12:32:03 GMT
How about (1993) Birmingham City 4 Swindon Town 6
In case you'd forgotten (how *could* you?!) Swindon were 4-1 down with half an
hour left to play. What a game...
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