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The 'beautiful game' has surely given us some of the most important matches in its extremely long history, from the record-breaking Champions League fixtures to the World Cup, which is known as the greatest stage of world football.
Memories are made every single time the world-class football players step foot on the pitch. Some of the most important matches have been a part of the modern era, where the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have given it all, breaking records and creating history.
Our picks for the 5 most thrilling matches in the history of football have given us a reason to believe in this particular sport, and have surely proved the point that nothing is impossible at all.
#5 France vs Portugal - Euro 2016 final
A fixture that was considered as the most important one in the history of Portuguese football, Cristiano Ronaldo led his side into a victory fueled with extreme emotions. In the eighth minute, the Portugal captain suffered a knee injury as a result of a hard tackle executed by Dimitri Payet.
An emotional Ronaldo left the pitch with a broken heart, but was seen leading his team from the sidelines with the Portuguese manager Fernando Santos. Many thought that the match was over after the departure of CR7.
While France were the favorites to win the tournament, the extra time gave something that is referred to as a 'miracle', as the Portuguese number 9 Eder, who is labeled as a 'striker who hardly scores', scored from outside the box and into the bottom corner, giving Portugal a 1-0 victory over the mighty French side.
This was surely one of those football fixtures that we as fans will never forget.
#4 Liverpool vs AC Milan - 2005 UEFA Champions League final
The 'Istanbul miracle', as we like calling it, is easily one of the most shocking fixtures, not just in the history of the Champions League, but also the sport. The fact that a dominant AC Milan side scored a very early goal in almost 50 seconds of the match drowned every single hope for every single Liverpool fan. The goal was scored by Paolo Maldini.
A goal by Crespo made it 2-0 for Milan, which was soon followed by another goal from the same player, making the night even more frustrating for Liverpool. The fans were convinced that the match was over, but the players were not ready to give up, as just 10 minutes after the half-time, Steven Gerard scored from an unbelievable header, which was soon followed by a goal from Vladimir Smicer, who made it 3-2 for Liverpool.
The breakthrough, however, came extremely late in the match, when Xabi Alonso scored from a penalty, equalizing the score. The game was carried to the penalty shootout, and with the Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek being an absolute wall in front of the goal, the Reds were able to win the title with what we call as a 'miracle.'
#3 Spain vs the Netherlands - 2010 world cup final
In probably one of the most famous World Cup finals of all time, Spain ended up winning their very first World Cup back in 2010, and as a matter of fact, it was not an easy task for either of the teams to score. With the Dutch side constantly applying the pressure, it was hard to believe that Spain would do the impossible.
After a goalless 90 minutes, both teams ended up making important changes in their tactics and in their lineups. With Cesc Fabregas and Fernando Torres playing upfront, Andres Iniesta of all people ended up becoming the target man for Spain, as he scored from a chance that the Dutch supporters have labeled as being an 'offside goal'.
Spain ended up winning the match with this one particular goal, and one of the most memorable matches folded itself into the history books.
#2 Barcelona vs Paris Saint Germain - 2017 UEFA Champions League quarter finals second leg
Yet another 'miracle', the second leg of the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals was played between the French side Paris Saint Germain and the Spanish giants Barcelona, and it was one of the fixtures that we as football fans can never erase from our memories.
Given the fact that the Parisians were already leading on aggregate, as their first leg fixture earned them a demolishing 4-0 against the Spanish giants, many thought that there was no way that Barcelona could come back.
However, the Blaugrana completely shocked the world as they ended up winning with a 6-1 scoreline in the second leg, giving them a 6-5 lead on aggregate, which sent them to the semi-finals of the competition.
An own goal by Layvin Kurzawa, two from Neymar, one from Lionel Messi, an extremely early goal from Luis Suarez, and an extremely dramatic last-minute goal from Sergi Roberto sealed the deal for the Spaniards. The match is often considered as one of the greatest matches in the history of the competition.
#1 Germany vs Brazil - 2014 FIFA World Cup semi-finals
One of the biggest defeats in the history of Brazilian football, this particular fixture gave us a glimpse of how lethal German football had actually become. Such was the resilience of this fixture, that the entire Brazilian nation stood quiet after the 7-1 defeat against Germany.
But as we look at it as a sport, the Brazilian squad made the most unimaginable mistakes, which is something that they aren't known for.
By the end of the first half, Joachim Low's side scored a total of 5 goals, but they were not done, as after the second half, Andre Schurrle added two more to the tally. Brazil did try to make a comeback, as after 80 minutes the Selecaos were retaliating.
Oscar did score a goal in the 90th minute, giving the fans some hope. The match ended with a heartbreaking display of the Brazilian national team down on their knees, discontent and disappointed.
