Best Last-Minute Goals in Football History

When that clock reaches the 88th minute, I will automatically shift my seating position to the edge of my seats to see a last-minute goal.

Below, we present to you, the

best last-minute goals in football history

. From UEFA Champions League to World Cup and domestic leagues.

Greatest Last-minute Goals in Football History

Here are the most stunning last-minute goals in soccer history.

Manchester City 3-2 QPR (Edin Dzeko, Sergio Aguero)

Premier League title race could not get more dramatic than the 2010 race.

and

were tied at the top flight of the table. United was playing against Sunderland, while City was playing against QPR. Nobody could predict to which club the title would go to. QPR, defending with all their hearts.

Pablo Zabaleta, City’s right wing-back, scored his first goal of the season in the last, and probably the most important match of the league. With a sense of anxiety gripping the stands as news of their temporary status as number two in the Premier League filtered through, Zabaleta scorched in from the right flank. He kept advancing after laying a pass off to Silva, who in turn fed Yaya Toure. It meant he was within striking range when Toure flicked the ball through and let fly with a fierce effort towards the far post.

City was 1-0 ahead as they went to the dressing room. Suddenly, what was happening at the Stadium of Light did not seem quite so important. Instead, it was events at the Britannia Stadium that were of huge importance as, from being in a position of relative comfort in terms of their top-flight status, QPR were now hanging over the trapdoor. as Lescott made a disastrous decision to head Shaun Wright-Phillips' hopeful lofted pass back to Joe Hart. Cisse read it and duly smashed a first-time shot into the bottom corner. Back came all those nerves.

 The drama had only just begun though. And when Traore skipped past Zabaleta on a rare foray forward, his far-post cross was perfect for Mackie, who launched himself at the ball with a diving header neither Hart nor Lescott could keep out. On came Dzeko, then Balotelli in a frantic attempt to grab a lifeline. Both came close, Dzeko hitting a post, Balotelli drawing a fine save from Kenny as

abandoned any pretext of attacking intent.

 It all looked to be in vain as the game entered five minutes of stoppage time. Even the celebrations at Dzeko's leveler, when there were under four minutes left, were muted. But when Aguero scored his 30th - and by far the most important and dramatic - goal of the season 120 seconds later, the roof came off the Etihad Stadium. The Premier League has seldom seen a day like it. 5 goals, two of which were scored in stoppage time.

Best last-minute goals in football history

!

Belgium 3-2 Japan (Naser Chadli)

One of the best

last-minute goals in football history

!

When we saw the draw, we all thought Belgium would seal a comfortable win. It was Japan who took the lead despite lookout on their feet for large spells of the first half. They were creating chances but Belgium was laying the pressure on thick up the other end and could have had a handful of goals before the half-time whistle.

On 48 minutes, however, Genki Haraguchi took the ball into the penalty area from a counter and sent a rocket past Thibaut Courtois into the only space he could from a tight angle. Japan were 1-0 up and was still looking dangerous in attack. They doubled their lead four minutes later when Takashi Inui sent another laser beam past Courtois, this time to the other side of the Belgian keeper.

had to act. But it seemed like they were out of luck when Hazard struck the post from a volley inside the penalty area. Were we about to have another scalp at the World Cup. The steep slope Belgium was looking up at became easier when Jan Vertonghen sent a header looping over Eiji Kawashima. That was followed up by a header from substitute Marouane Fellaini.

The game cooled at that point but both sides were still dreaming of a winner. Japan was awarded a corner with what we thought would be the last kick of the game but Courtois grabbed it and sprung Kevin de Bruyne free. He played it to Thomas Meunier and after a stepover from Lukaku, Chadli slid home the winner with no time for Japan to even think about a reply.

It was close, it was not always a certainty and it was, at times, lucky but Belgium marched on to meet

in a heavyweight showdown in the quarter-final.

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Chelsea 1-1 Bayern Munich (Didier Drogba)

The first Champions League final to be held at Allianz Arena, and

reached the final. Can you imagine a better setting than that? No, you can’t.

Bayern took the lead late in the second half through Thomas Müller, but Didier Drogba equalized for Chelsea five minutes later, in the 88th minute with a fabulous header to take the game to extra time, in which Arjen Robben missed an awarded penalty, Petr Čech saving the low drive.

The first good chance of extra time was when Ivica Olić inside the box passed to Gómez but his shot was wide. Later, Drogba fouled Franck Ribéry in the penalty area, injuring him and earning Bayern a penalty; Robben took it, but his shot was saved by Čech. In the second half of extra time, Olić attempted to set up Van Buyten instead of taking a shot and the ball rolled wide of Čech's far post.

The victory marked not only Chelsea's first-ever European Cup but also the first time a London team had won the competition – previously, aside from Chelsea's 2008 defeat to United, which was the last time an English club had won the competition, Arsenal had also lost 2006 final in Paris against Barcelona.

The teams stayed level at 1–1 and the match went to a penalty shoot-out, which

won 4–3 to clinch their first Champions League title. This match will always be remembered for delivering to us one of the

most stunning last-minute goals in soccer history

.

Barcelona 6-1 PSG (Neymar, Neymar, Sergi Roberto)

Football is about crucial moments, and had it not been for Layvin Kurzawa’s own goal just before half-time, the comeback would have failed. Cue rising expectation at the Camp Nou. Barcelona had scored two and needed two more to take the tie to extra time. It was still Paris Saint-Germain in the proverbial driving seat, but Barcelona was pushing all the pedals.

needed to start the second half like they did the first. Unai Emery cut a concerned figure in the technical area. When Lionel Messi scored Barcelona’s third from the penalty spot just after the break, it spelled disaster for Paris, but the French club needed only one moment to turn the tie.

As the Barcelona faithful roared, and the bench stood in amazement, the Catalan giants needed just one goal to tie the match. Like a wounded animal, PSG dropped back, but regardless of the score, any away goal for the French side would effectively end the contest.

We would have to wait until two minutes before the end when the footballing gods smiled down at the Camp Nou. Paris Saint-Germain was to be outdone by their future star, the current most expensive football history, in Neymar. A free-kick and a penalty as the clock ticked into the 90-minute handed Barcelona a great lifeline. Paris Saint-Germain had a sense of déjà vu.

In the 95th minute, Neymar crossed in for Sergio Roberto to tap it over Paris Saint-Germain’s goalkeeper, Kevin Trapp. The Camp Nou erupted like Krakatoa. Enrique lost his sense of the world. Emery wiped his brow in stunned disbelief. Barcelona had done it against all the odds, and when the final whistle blew, it was pandemonium. Truly, one of the

best last-minute goals in football history

.

England 2-2 Greece (David Beckham)

needed a draw to qualify for the 2002 World Cup finals. Who is more qualified to produce that goal other than David Beckham?

David Beckham sent England to the 2002 World Cup finals in the most dramatic fashion imaginable at Old Trafford.

Sven Goran Eriksson's team were trailing

2-1 deep into injury time and looked destined for a difficult playoff against Ukraine.

But Beckham, having failed with five previous long-range free kicks, finally secured qualification for Japan and Korea with a virtuous goal in the 93rd minute.

It was an amazing climax to a nail-biting final qualifying game in which England's character had been tested to the limit. Fortunately, England had Beckham on the pitch, one of the best set-pieces takers in the world.

Beckham could raise the roof here with a goal...

The crowd went silent as Beckham stood over the ball. He had the chance to finally cement his reputation as a villain to a national hero. And he didn't disappoint.

Beckham stepped up and unleashed an unstoppable effort that crashed into the top corner, leaving Antonios Nikopolidis stranded.

"I don't believe it. David Beckham scores the goal to take England all the way to the World Cup Finals! Give that man a knighthood!" That was what the commentator said after this phenomenal goal. His goal against Greece will go down as one of the greatest moments in England's history. David Beckham produced one of the best last-minute goals in football history.

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Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid (Lionel Messi)

One of the

most amazing last-minute soccer goals of all time

! Remember that famous goal celebration by Leo Messi? The one which he took off his shirt and showed Santiago Bernabeú his name on the back. They already knew it though. 91:45 minutes into the game, Sergi Roberto surges through the middle. It’s a brilliant run. He finds Gomes. He waits for support. Then he knocks it to the overlapping Alba. The cutback rolls to - gulp - Messi and he sweeps the winner low to Navas’s right from 15 yards! and BOOOOOM! Messi exploded the stadium! That’s his 500th Barcelona goal!. Messi slew the dragon with a fitting finale to a wild and wonderful El Clasico. Lionel Messi, as he has done so often in the past for Barcelona, proved the match-winner with two superbly taken goals that kept alive their title hopes. When pundits say Messi owns the stage, they mean it. He owned Bernabeú. if there were headlines to be made, it would be Lionel Messi who would grab them.

Liverpool 4-3 Dortmund (Dejan Lovren)

Amazingly, Jurgen Klopp’s name is tied to two matches on this list, and even more amazing than that, one of these goals was when he was in charge of Dortmund, and the other while he was Liverpool’s manager, playing against Dortmund. You can’t write this script. Klopp excels at making history. You can't argue with that.

The Bundesliga side struck twice inside the first nine minutes through Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - both after swift breaks, with the latter sealed by a crisp 14-yard strike - to take a 3-1 aggregate lead in the tie.

The Reds slowly grew into the game, creating and missing a succession of chances. Even when Divock Origi gave them hope early in the second half - slotting the ball through the legs of keeper Roman Weidenfeller - it seemed to have been snuffed out by Marco Reus's cool 57th-minute finish.

They still needed three goals with less than 25 minutes left but Philippe Coutinho's low shot cut the deficit and when Mamadou Sakho headed in after 77 minutes, Liverpool stood on the brink of something remarkable.

Amid riotous scenes, Lovren rose to head home in stoppage time in front of the Kop to spark chaotic celebrations and seal a win that will take its place in Anfield folklore. Lovern, with producing one of the best last-minute goals in football history, forever immortalized his name in Liverpool history.

Italy 2-0 Germany (Fabio Grosso, Alessandro Del Piero)

The 2006 World Cup was, and is, a one to remember. Italy’s fantastic team deservedly reached the semi-finals against giant and host, Germany. An absorbing semi-final seemed set for penalties until Grosso curled man of the match Andrea Pirlo's pass past Jens Lehmann with just one minute left. But Pirlo still had time to have his say as, with Italy pushing forward in numbers, he threaded the ball to Grosso whose first-time shot left Lehmann with no chance.

The goal was timed at 119 minutes and Germany, and their supporters who had crammed into Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park were stunned. And as Jurgen Klinsmann's side pushed forward in desperation, Gilardino found the ball in space and rolled it to Del Piero who sent a clinical finish beyond the advancing Lehmann into the roof of the net. Their delight at the final whistle was in stark contrast to Germany, who were left bereft as their dream of lifting the World Cup on home soil came to a sudden, heartbreaking end, and creating one of the

best last-minute goals in football history

.

Dortmund 3-2 Malaga (Marco Reus, Felipe Santana)

UEFA Champions League quarter-final 2012/13. Malaga was ahead 2-1 up to the 90th minute. 2 goals in stoppage time sealed the win for Dortmund. Another great and probably the most stunning last-minute goals ever. 2 goals in added time by Marco Reus and Santana took Kloppo to heaven and raised the roof. Marco Reus and then Felipe Santana struck for the German side, although the winning goal - poked home from a matter of inches - looked offside. The vociferous home crowd was sent into raptures as first Reus slotted home into an empty net from eight yards after the ball ran fortuitously into his path and then Santana pounced after a huge scramble inside the penalty box. Dortmund's obvious joy was in stark contrast to the emotions of the defeated Malaga players, with a cruel end especially harsh on coach Manuel Pellegrini. Klopp’s Dortmund not only made a fantastic comeback but also scored the best last-minute goals in football history.

Spain 1-0 Netherlands (Andres Iniesta)

Andreas Iniesta scored a late goal in extra time, awarding

their very first World Cup. Just before the goal was scored, the Dutch team had a free kick that hit the wall (apparently taking a deflection off Fàbregas) before going out. Despite the deflection, which should have given possession and a corner kick to the Dutch team, a goal kick was given to the Spanish, starting the play that led to the winning goal. Minutes ago, Arjen Robben missed a clear one-on-one chance against Iker Casillas, once again proving the old saying “You’ll concede a goal if you don’t score one.” Iniesta was yellow-carded for the removal of his team shirt when celebrating his goal. Can you blame him? He scored one of the best last-minute goals in football history.

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greatest last-minute goals in football history

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