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#3 Manchester United vs Bayern Munich - 1999 UCL Final
It is well known that it was hard to celebrate their victory against Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United until the game was well and truly over. For one of the greatest reasons for this, you should watch this affair. A lot of matches were settled in "Fergie Time" but none more important for the Red Devils than this Champions League final.
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The game was equally important for both sides because both teams had the chance to complete a treble. The Premier League side had the worst possible start as they conceded a goal in just the sixth minute after kick-off. Mario Basler deceived Peter Schmeichel with his free kick and put the Bavarians one up.
Man United were without two of their most important players, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes, who were out due to suspension. Their absence was clearly hurting the Red Devils, who weren't quite able to establish a grip on the game.
Every time Bayern Munich revisit this final in their memory, they'd have a certain sense of regret. The German side had enough chances to bury the game in normal time but none of their efforts to double the lead materialized. It wasn't down to some exceptional defending, the Bavarians did not have a cutting edge in their attacks and were predictable for most of the game.
But Sir Alex Ferguson came prepared with the unpredictable. He started with Teddy Sheringham on the bench and sent him on the pitch after an hour of action. He also had his trump card in the form of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who he introduced with just 10 minutes left to play.
The super subs changed the tide of the game within three minutes of added time. First Sheringham and then Solskjaer. Both goals began with David Beckham's corner deliveries. Then, with the killer instincts of the two strikers, the ball ended at the back of the net from close range.
It was only after 1968 that Manchester United won the European Cup (now UCL) having previously done so under the management of legendary figure Matt Busby. Such was the fate that on the day of the 1999 Champions League final it would have been late Busby's 90th birthday.
He must have had a big grin as he watched from the heavens!
#2 Portugal vs Greece - 2004 Euro Final
Greece must have had all of its Greek gods ever mentioned in their mythology smiling at them and showering their goodluck. This was too Herculean a task to be completed without supernatural support. Manager Otto Rehhagel stood at the helm of it all, masterminding the disruption of footballing common sense.
It was he who provided his players with a strong foundation of tactics and strategies. Before the 2004 edition of the Euros, Greece had only scored one goal at major tournaments and had not registered a single victory. But in what was a sheer display of willpower, persistence and desire, they accomplished the unthinkable.
Throughout the tournament, they largely followed the same pattern. Frustrate your opponent, capitalize on your chances, take the lead, frustrate more with resolute defense and win. It's easy to put that recipe on paper, but they executed it masterfully and their luck did whatever rest was left.
The hosts Portugal started their campaign against Greece in the group stages and ended their campaign against the same opposition in the finals. Such was the fate that both times the Portuguese tasted narrow defeat by a margin of one goal. The first half of the final was simply dull, with both teams getting some half-chances, but none really threatened to take the lead.
Then, in the second half, Rehhagel's men delivered a sucker punch from a corner routine. For Portugal's part, it showed carelessness and a lack of preparation. The Greeks had knocked out Czech Republic and France, both in similar style, from headed goals.
The hosts should have seen it coming, but they didn't and Anglos Charisteas scored to give them an all-important goal to hold on to. Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Figo, Pauleta and Maniche all tried their best to beat Antonis Nikopolidis in goal, but it was his day.
Luiz Felipe Scolari and his men were not clinical on one of the most important nights in Portugal's history. They became the first host nation to lose in a European Championship final.
#1 Liverpool vs AC Milan - UCL Final 2005
Embossed in the memories of football fans and lovers of the Champions League is a tale of perseverance and fighting spirit deservedly titled as "the Miracle of Istanbul." An inspirational 120 minutes of football which proved that defying odds, however grossly they may be stacked against you, is truly in your own power.
As far as daunting tasks go, Liverpool were looking down the barrel of their most daunting one. A trophy they hadn't won in the past two decades stood at touching distance from them, two halves of footballing action away. But between them and that beautiful piece of silverware stood Carlo Ancelotti's formidable AC Milan.
One look at the teamsheets and it would be absolutely human of you to write off the Reds in this contest. Legends Paolo Maldini, Cafu, Kaka, Alessandro Nesta, Dida, Andrea Pirlo and the then reigning Ballon d'Or winner Andriy Shevchenko were all wearing the Rossoneri colors.
Between the kick-off whistle and the half-time whistle, the team from the Premier League crumbled and was on its knees. The scoreline read 3-0 in favor of the Serie A side as Hernan Crespo's brace and Maldini's goal put the tie to bed. Except they didn't.
Rafael Benitez and co. emerged from the tunnel with real purpose and determination. They did not want to go down without a fight, so fight, they did. In the 54th minute, Stevan Gerrard rose high and buried his header past Dida. The kneeling hopes were crawling again. Minutes later, Vladimir Smicer buried a low right-footed rocket from outside the box into the bottom left corner.
Two goals in two minutes. The crawling hopes pick themselves up and start walking again. Four minutes later, Stevie G was at it again, arriving in the box, Genaro Gattuso had lost his man, he desperately tried to stop him. Efforts in vain, misery for Milan, penalty for Liverpool.
Up stepped Xabi Alonso, he went low, in the left corner, but Dida read it and saved. The Spanish midfielder quickly pounced on the ball and buried it from even closer distance. By the hour mark, the Reds had erased the deficit and this time they had their teeth firmly into the tie.
The team couldn't be further separated, even after 30 minutes of extra time, as it all boiled down to penalties. Nerves got the better of the ever so reliable Andrea Pirlo and Andriy Shevchenko. They couldn't convert from the spot and the unreal dream had now become a breathing reality.
