6 Teams That Had Victory Snatched From Them at the Death
There is nothing better in football than seeing late drama, unless you're a fan of the team on the receiving end of it of course. That split second where the game that looks to be ebbing towards a natural, premeditated end gets flipped on it's head, with the remainder of the match plunged into ambiguity is unprecedented in terms of entertainment.
Rightly so, these moments go down in footballing history, remembered for decades by the majority. Let's take a look at six times that victory was snatched away at the death...
Crystal Palace vs Liverpool - 05/05/2014
With just 11 minutes of time left to play, Liverpool were 3-0 up and cruising, looking to add to the scoreline to improve their goal difference as they battled for the title.
However, in one of the Premier League's great modern spectacles, the Reds crumbled. Brendan Rodgers' side conceded three times in nine minutes to Crystal Palace, with Dwight Gayle's 88th minute equaliser snatching victory away from Liverpool as well as any lingering title hopes.
Roma vs Barcelona - 10/04/2018
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It looked to be a normality that Barcelona would progress through to the semi finals of the Champions League after their 4-1 first leg victory, but Roma had other ideas.
The Italians battled back at home to overturn the deficit to win 3-0, progressing through on away goals in doing so. Kostas Manolas' 82nd minute strike proved to be the turning point, as well as the moment that the Spanish side saw their victory snatched away from them.
Newcastle vs Arsenal - 05/02/2011
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Whilst no trophy or Champions League progression was at stake in this game, the finale was just as staggeringly unbelievable. In what seemed to be a routine league encounter, Arsenal had romped to a 4-0 lead over lowly Newcastle after just 26 minutes, but complacency crept in.
Three goals in 15 second half minutes had the Magpies going into the dying embers of the match knowing one goal would secure a dream comeback. And on the 87th minute, they found it through Cheik Tiote's thumping volley. Arsenal had let a four goal lead slip, as well as their victory.
Bayern Munich vs Manchester United - 26/05/1999
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In one of the craziest spectacles in footballing history, Bayern Munich had their victory snatched from them by Manchester United in ridicolous fashion. The Bavarians had led 1-0 for 84 minutes of the Champions League final going into stoppage time, where just three more minutes of defensive solidarity would've seen them crowned winners.
However, Teddy Sheringham's stoppage time equaliser had extra time beckoning, before Manchester United fans' wildest dreams became reality. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer poked home just a minute later to completely turn the game on it's head, leaving Bayern fans in disbelief.
Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid - 25/05/2014
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Diego Godin's 36th minute opener looked to be taking Atletico Madrid to a historic victory over rivals Real Madrid in the Champions League final back in 2014. Diego Simeone's men were visibly wilting under Los Blancos' relentless attacks, however, and with seconds to go of normal time, they finally gave in.
Sergio Ramos nodded Luka Modric's precise corner into the back of the net to force extra time, where Real then eased to a 4-1 victory. What will live long in the memory of Atleti fans, though, will be the fact that they were just seconds away from a maiden Champions League success before it was cruelly snatched away from them.
Manchester United (Courtesy of Sergio Aguero's Strike vs QPR) - 13/05/2012
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It is the most famous incident of having a victory snatched away, and one that will perhaps never be seen again under the circumstances that it happened. Manchester United had won their game at Sunderland, eagerly awaiting their title celebrations in the knowledge that rivals Manchester City were about to draw their game against QPR.
What Sir Alex Ferguson, his players and those in the away end at the Stadium of Light were not prepared for, however, was what Sergio Aguero was about to do. The diminutive Argentine struck on the 95th minute to put the scoreline in the Citizens' favour by three goals to two, and in doing so securing their first Premier League title at the expense of their neighbours.
What made this all the more unbelievable was the fact that City also needed a 92nd minute goal to even equalise; it truly was the cruellest way for any club to lose the league, but the absolute best way to win it.
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