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

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Argentina 3-3 France (4-2 pens), 2022 World Cup finalIt’s hard not to start with the most recent World Cup final, which for entertainment is surely the finest in the tournament’s 96-year history. But this will forever be known as Messi’s World Cup, and the moment where he finally stepped out of Diego Maradona’s shadow in the hearts of all Argentinians.Milan 3-3 Liverpool (2-3 pens), 2005 Champions League finalThe Miracle of Istanbul: how can a comeback of that magnitude be condensed into a single paragraph?

It can’t, of course, but Rafa Benítez’s half-time tinkering (and his introduction of Dietmar Hamann) and Steven Gerrard’s heroics changed the game as Liverpool roared back from 3-0 down to force extra time. 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.

“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. “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.