Top 10 Most Exciting Sports Matches Ever

The UEFA[a] Championship match would decide if Liverpool or Milan would be crowned as the greatest football team of 2005. Milan immediately made it clear why they were favored, scoring in under a minute. They dominated, and at halftime were up 3-0. Seemingly just to keep things interesting, captain Steven Gerrard put Liverpool on the board a few minutes into the second half. Two minutes later they scored again, but they werent done; a third goal in six minutes tied the match. Through the rest of regulation and extra time neither side could break through and the match went to a shootout. In penalties it all came down to one shot, and when Liverpools Jerzy Dudek blocked Milans Andriy Shevchenko, they completed a spectacular comeback.

As the 80s came to a close, two division rivals, the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers, each seemed poised to become a dominant force in the upcoming decade. Meeting in the first round of the 1989 playoffs they split the first two games in the best-of five series. In the climactic game five, the contest stayed close, and with only six seconds remaining, Michael Jordan hit a dagger to take a one point lead. Craig Ehlo[b] wasted no time hitting a shot of his own putting the Cavs up a point. The Bulls inbounded and the ball went to, who else, but Michael who pulled up for a jumper over Ehlo as time expired. The ball sailed in, and a legend was born.

In 1951, the Giants and Dodgers were cross town rivals in New York. Thanks to a historic end to the season, the Giants rallied from 13 games back to tie the Dodgers, necessitating a three game series for the NL[c] pennant. Splitting the first two, everything came down to game three. Through 8 innings the Dodgers had managed four runs, but when the Giants took the field in the bottom of the inning they sat at only one. The Giants made another score and managed two others on base when Bobby Thomson stepped to the plate and made history. High and to the left, the ball soared into the stands, a three run walk-off home run which completed the comeback saga.

When Joe Frazier[d] and Muhammad Ali first faced off in 1971 for the heavyweight championship each had a legitimate title claim and undefeated records. The highly publicized event was named The Fight of the Century and Frazier claimed victory in fifteen rounds. In 1974, Ali would take his title back, this time from the heavily favored George Foreman in a bout dubbed The Rumble in the Jungle. This all led to a final showdown between Ali and Frazier to break their tie and crown the undisputed champ in the Thrilla in Manila. The two men laid into each other in a bloody battle hailed as one of the best fights ever, with Ali coming out on top.

When the only two unbeaten teams of the season, USC and Texas, faced off in the National Championship, it was one of the most anticipated college football matches of all time. Collegiate legends including Vince Young, Matt Leinart[e], and Reggie Bush stepped onto the gridiron. The back and forth battle saw fourth down conversions, close calls, five lead changes, and a nail-biting ending. With less than five minutes left to play and trailing by twelve, Texas made it a one score game. After Texas defenses fourth down hold, Young marched the ball down the field. However he faced his own fourth down, needing a touchdown with only 26 seconds on the clock. Facing a blitz, Young sprinted into the end zone and claimed victory!

Titans clashed in the 2008 Wimbledon final where, after a long match, Rafael Nadal defeated rival Roger Federer. A year later Nadal was out due to injury and a rather unexpected rival for Federer was in his place. Andy Roddick, who had previously been felled by the Swiss in the 04 and 05 finals, shockingly returned and even began to outplay the presumed champ. Roddick broke Fed in the first and fourth sets, but after losing two tiebreaks it was to be settled in a fifth. The final frame lasted for a record breaking thirty games, until finally, after four hours, Federer broke Roddick. With that Federer took home his fifteenth grand slam, setting the record for most of all time.

After a season-long farewell tour with an atrocious team, Kobe Bryant, whose final years had been plagued by injury, stepped onto the court one last time. And no one expected what would come next. With no reason left to hold back Kobe did what he loved best, shoot. Time after time Kobe put up the ball in a herculean effort, but with just over three minutes the Lakers trailed by ten. But Kobe just wouldnt accept defeat, he ripped off even more shots, scoring twelve unanswered points by himself including an epic jumper to take the lead. When the score was tallied, the 37 year old had outscored the opposing Jazz in the final quarter on his way to a sixty point winning effort.

Both sides were attempting to achieve the all too rare treble when they met in the UEFA Champions League final in 1999. After an early goal by Bayern Munich, the points dried up as neither side could put the ball in the net, although both came close several times. When the clock struck 90 only three minutes were added for stoppage time, and despite furiously attacking all game it seemed over for the English side. Spectacularly, in stoppage time, United finally struck paydirt on a perfectly placed shot from Teddy Sheringham. While the game now seemed destined for extra time Man U had other plans and in the third minute scored again turning what seemed like certain defeat just moments prior into sweet victory.

After going 16-0 in the regular season and defeating them in the season finale, it was a foregone conclusion that the Patriots would claim victory when they played the wild card Giants in Super Bowl XLII. Fans and sportscasters were already proclaiming that going a perfect 19-0 would make them the greatest team to ever play the game. But thats why you play the game. After trading leads all day with 1:15 left, Giants QB Eli Manning had one last chance. During that now legendary drive Eli escaped the grasp of three Patriot defenders and chucked a bomb caught by receiver David Tyree with the aid of his helmet! A few plays later a touchdown completed the upset and demolished perfection once and for all.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.


1995 Rugby World Cup Final (1995)
Nelson Mandela Looked on as a Newly United South Africa Won an Overtime Battle


Italy vs. West Germany (1970)
Rivals Met For a Match with Five Goals in Extra Time


La Remontada[i] (2017)
Barcelona Overcame the Four Goal Deficit From the Prior Game to Take Home the Title


The Greatest Game Ever Played (1958)
The Original Overtime Championship that Made Football into Americas Favorite Sport


IsnerMahut[j] (2010)
The Tennis Match that Wouldnt End

The US currently enjoys a friendly hockey rivalry with Canada, with the overtime thriller between the teams in the 2010 Gold Medal game being one for the ages. Their rivalry with the Soviet Union was much less friendly. The Cold War became literal in the 1980 Olympics when a team of American college kids faced off against the four time defending champs, the USSR. The Soviets scored first, but the US refused to go away, tying the game up again and again, including a last second first period buzzerbeater. Playing from behind in the final period the US scored two quick goals taking their first lead, 4-3. After an intense final ten minutes that score would hold, proving miracles do happen!

What sporting events got your heart racing? Let us know in the comments below!