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3. Real Madrid vs Barcelona 2006-07
Fabio Capello’s team beat Barcelona on head-to-head record
Defending champions FC Barcelona led the league for much of the season while arch rivals Real Madrid struggled to remain in the Champions League spots. Barca’s form started dipping in January and Madrid clawed their way back to finally take the lead for the first time all season in mid-March. They remained in the lead till the very end and both the sides would finish on 76 points.
The Catalans had a superior goal difference of +45 to Real’s +26, but in Spain it is decided by head-to-head record. The Los Blancos clinched the title as they had a superior head-to-head record having beaten Barca 2-0 in Madrid and drawn 3-3 in Catalonia.
4. AZ Alkmaar vs PSV Eindhoven vs Ajax Amsterdam (2006-07)
In a sensational season of Dutch football, the three teams were tied on 72 points each heading into the final day of the season. AZ Alkmaar boasted a superior goal difference of +53 to Ajax’s and PSV’s +47 and +46 respectively. AZ proceeded to blow up their advantage and were upset 3-2 by relegation contenders Excelsior Rotterdam. Ajax managed to beat Willem II 2-0 and now had plus +49 goal difference.
But PSV had other plans, going on to beat Vitesse 5-1 and improving their goal difference to +50 to steal the title right under Ajax’s noses. Football experts widely believe that it was one of the greatest Dutch seasons of all time, with the excitement levels reaching near hysteria.
5. Rosenborg vs Valerenga, 2004 Norwegian Premier League (Tippeligaen)
A less famous story due to the league in which the teams played, Rosenborg and Valerenga had 45 points going into the final game of the season and +15 goal difference each, but Rosenborg had scored 48 goals to Valerenga’s 37. Valerenga won their final game 3-0 and the match got over 6 minutes before Rosenborg’s match. Rosenborg led Lyn Oslo 4-1 at home and had to endure the most nerve wrecking six minutes ever in Norwegian football history. They kept their cool and retained the title in the most dramatic finish in history.
Other close calls:
In the 1963-64 Serie A, Bologna and Inter Milan finished level on points and Bologna beat Inter 2-0 in the play-off match to win their 7th and last Serie A title. Italy is the only one of the five major European leagues which used tie-breakers to decide the destination of the title.
In the 1909-10 season, Pro Vercelli and Inter Milan finished on level points. The play-off was supposed to be played in Vercelli due to their better goal difference, but on the date of the match most of the Vercelli players were committed to a military tournament and their plea to change the date was rejected by Inter and the federation. In protest, Vercelli played their fourth string team (youth players of 10-15 years of age) and were predictably hammered 10-3.
