The greatest comebacks in World Cup history
From Portugal against North Korea in 1966 to the Miracle of Bern, some matches looked lost and ended in glory. The comebacks nobody saw coming.
Few things carry the epic weight of a World Cup comeback, those matches that look done and turn around when no one expects it. The history of the World Cup is littered with them.
The most famous for its scale came in 1966. In the quarter-finals, Portugal found themselves 3-0 down to the surprising debutants North Korea after 25 minutes. Then Eusébio appeared: the great Portuguese star scored four goals and completed a historic comeback to win 5-3 and reach the semi-finals.
Twelve years earlier, in 1954, came the «Miracle of Bern». In the final, West Germany came back from 2-0 down against Puskás's Hungary —unbeaten for years— to win 3-2 and claim their first World Cup, in one of the biggest shocks of all time.
Another gem is the 1970 semi-final between Italy and West Germany, dubbed the «Game of the Century». Italy led 1-0, Germany equalised in stoppage time and, in a crazy five-goal extra time, the Italians eventually prevailed 4-3 at the Estadio Azteca.
Comebacks are a reminder that at the World Cup nothing is settled until the final whistle. A single-elimination phase like the knockouts is the perfect stage for the script to break at any moment.
Source: Wikipedia (1966 FIFA World Cup; Miracle of Bern; Italy v West Germany 1970).