Top 100 matches

Top of the pile is a game that had more plot twists than a Hollywood screenwriter could muster in his wildest imagination. Drama, tension, tragedy and a villain: Harald "Toni" Schumacher - the Butcher of Seville.

The Germans opened the scoring through a Pierre Littbarski strike in the 17th minute but the French levelled nine minutes later via a Michel Platini penalty.

The drama really began after an hour when a long through ball sent French substitute Patrick Battiston through on goal; he flicked it past German keeper Schumacher who blatantly made no attempt to play the ball and clattered into the defenceless Battiston's head with his hip. The ball drifted agonisingly wide of the post and to the astonishment of the world, Dutch referee Charles Corver awarded a goal kick.

The French players raced to their stricken colleague who was unconscious, had lost two teeth and had damaged vertebrae. As emergency medics administered oxygen on the pitch to Battiston - who later slipped into a coma but made a full recovery - Schumacher stood there waiting to take the goal kick, taunting the French fans.

The men in blue were victims of a grave injustice and the incident reignited historical French-German antagonism. Then a further cruel blow was dealt to Les Blues as Manuel Amoros's piledriver crashed against the crossbar in the final minute.

The game went into extra time and on 92 minutes, French sweeper Marius Tresor fired home a volley to make it 2-1 before six minutes later, Alain Giresse drove in a sweet shot that nestled, off the inside of Schumacher's right post. Giresse celebrated exuberantly believing that France were poised to make their first World Cup final appearance.

But four minutes later Karl-Heinz Rummenigge turned in at the near post and in the 108th minute Klaus Fischer volleyed the ball past French keeper Jean-Luc Ettori with one of his trademark bicycle kicks.

An emotionally shattered France hung on for penalties where Giresse, Manfred Kaltz, Manuel Amoros, Paul Breitner and Dominique Rocheteau all converted before Uli Stielike was denied by Ettori, giving France a huge advantage.

But then Schumacher -  who shouldn't have been on the pitch - promptly pulled off a diving stop from Didier Six. Successful kicks from Littbarski, Platini and Rummenigge meant sudden death where a tame penalty by Maxime Bossis was saved by that man Schumacher.

It was left to Horst Hrubesch, a solid, hulking man of physical strength who represented the antithesis of the French way, who stepped up confidently to consign France to another heartbreaking defeat and complete the greatest match of all-time.

Arsenal headed into the season finale at Anfield needing to win by two goals to take the title on goal difference - and foil Liverpool's attempts to win another Double.

It was an improbable task, given the Reds' air of invincibility at the time and their players and fans' strong desire to win it for those who recently perished at Hillsborough. But the match never went Liverpool's way.

Alan Smith put the Gunners ahead with his 23rd goal of a prolific season, a 52nd minute header past Bruce Grobbelaar that silenced the Kop.

Arsenal continued to threaten for the remainder of the second half, but that crucial, decisive goal remained elusive as the match entered time added on.  

Then, with Liverpool in possession, John Barnes had the chance to run down the clock but he instead opted to run into the Arsenal penalty area, where he was promptly dispossessed. The ball was played back to keeper John Lukic who threw it out to Lee Dixon and Arsenal mounted one final attack.

Dixon knocked it up to Smith who controlled on the turn and played the ball through for the onrushing Michael Thomas. The midfielder flicked past Steve Nicol and bore down on goal for what seemed like an age - for fans of both teams - giving commentator Brian Moore time to shout the immortal words 'it's up for grabs now!'.

It certainly was, and Thomas took his chance to go down in Arsenal folklore with an untidy clip past Grobbelaar to put the Gunners 2-0 up and win the title with virtually the final kick of the final match of the season. It does not get any more dramatic than that.

Thomas celebrated in suitably delirious fashion, performing a diving forward roll before spinning on his head as Arsenal fans went wild and Liverpool hearts were broken.

This match was not dubbed 'Game of the Century' for nothing. There is even a plaque at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium to commemorate the encounter, in which over 100,000 people saw five goals scored in extra time.

Internazionale striker Roberto Boninsegna fired the Azzurri ahead after just eight minutes when his roving run forward was rewarded with a one-two; he sidefooted an inch-perfect strike from the edge of the box past Sepp Maier.

For the rest of the 90 minutes, it looked as though an Italy playing in the midst of Catenaccio's 'golden' age would prevail as 1-0 winners until, in second-half stoppage time, Juergen Grabowski powered down the left flank and crossed for the unmarked Karl-Heinz Schnellinger: he poked in what proved to be his only international goal in 47 caps.

Fabrizio Poletti came on for Italy at the start of extra time, but he was only on the pitch for a few minutes before a farcical mix-up between him and goalkeeper Enrico Albertosi allowed Gerd 'Der Bomber' Mueller to sneak in and give Germany the lead.

The Germans repaid the favour five minutes later when Sigi Held chested an Italy free-kick right to the feet of Tarcisio Burgnich who gratefully rifled home, and Italy regained the lead at the end of the first period when Gigi Riva turned outside his marker and fired a clinical low strike into the far corner.  

The Germans refused to go down without a fight and, after Albertosi tipped an Uwe Seeler header over the bar, Mueller headed in his 10th goal of the tournament from the subsequent corner to level once more.

However, German ecstasy turned to despair when, just 20 seconds after the restart, Boninsegna was released down the right and he pulled a pass back for Gianni Rivera to calmly finish and send Italy into the final.

Right from the day we first began publishing this countdown people have been commenting that this unfathomable clash in Istanbul was a shoo-in for the number one spot. Believe it or not, there have been three more monumental matches than this, but that doesn't detract from the sheer pant-wetting excitement that led to Liverpool's fifth European crown.

The fact that Rafael Benitez's side had reached the final was almost a miracle in itself after the Reds sneaked past Juventus and Chelsea in the previous rounds, but the fairy-tale looked over after just a minute at the Ataturk Stadium when Paolo Maldini, chasing his fifth Champions League winner's medal, volleyed home from Andrea Pirlo's free-kick.

Liverpool were over-run in midfield and the Rossoneri were strolling, adding not one but two more goals before half-time. A swift Milan counter-attack culminated in Hernan Crespo sweeping in Andrei Shevchenko's cross, and the Argentine striker scored his second just before the break when he met an unbelievable through ball from Kaka and nonchalantly dinked it over Jerzy Dudek.

On the face of it the introduction of Dietmar Hamman at half-time did not seem the best way to chase a three-goal deficit, but the German added stability to Liverpool's core and soon they were handed a lifeline when Steven Gerrard guided John Arne Riise's cross past Dida with a great header. In the blink of an eye they were suddenly filled with hope when Vladimir Smicer, a first-half substitute for the injured Harry Kewell, saw Dida fail to keep out his low drive from outside the area.

Liverpool fans did not have long to speculate over the possibility of a historic comeback as just before the hour-mark Gerrard charged into the box and - ahem - won a penalty off Gennaro Gattuso. Xabi Alonso had his spot-kick saved but lashed the rebound into the roof of the net to complete a remarkable 15-minute turnaround.

Liverpool rode their luck all the way to a penalty shootout as Djimi Traore blocked a shot on the line and Dudek made a stunning double-save from Shevchenko right at the end of extra time.

After all of Milan's earlier dominance, Pirlo and Serginho missed their first two penalties in the shootout. Hamman and Djibril Cisse converted theirs before Riise missed to hand Milan a life-line. However, after Kaka and Smicer both scored, Dudek's persistence with his impression of Bruce Grobelaar's infamous 'spaghetti legs' paid off and he saved Shevchenko's penalty to seal the Champions League for Benitez in his first season at the club.

World Cup finals are not always the best games - as anyone watching in 1990 or 1994 will confirm - but this was a genuine classic.

Despite being roared on by a 100,000-strong Wembley crowd, England fell behind in the 12th minute when Helmut Haller seized on a poor headed clearance by Ray Wilson and fired the Germans in front.

Geoff Hurst started the tournament as a back-up for Jimmy Greaves, but the West Ham man had scored the only goal against Argentina in the last eight and was preferred to his more illustrious colleague in the final. He repaid Alf Ramsey's faith in the 18th minute, when he equalised with a glancing header from Bobby Moore's free-kick.

England appeared to have done the hard work when a deflected Hurst shot fell to Martin Peters 12 minutes from time and the midfielder restored the lead. But West Germany scrambled a controversial equaliser in stoppage time, as Wolfgang Weber found the net following an apparent handball from Karl-Heinz Schnellinger.

And so to extra time. Alan Ball defied exhaustion to scamper down the right flank with 11 minutes played, and squared for Hurst, whose shot hit the underside of the bar and came down on - or over - the line. Roger Hunt could have saved a debate for the ages by knocking in the rebound, but 'Russian' linesman Tofik Bakhramov (he was actually from Azerbaijan) awarded a goal.

As time ticked down, Hurst raced forward down the left channel - there may have been some people on the pitch - and by his own admission wanted merely to boot the ball as far out of play as possible. His shot found the top-left corner and England were world champions.

With the likes of Socrates, Falcao and Zico in their side, the Brazil team in Spain were overwhelming favourites to go all the way and needed only a draw against Italy in Barcelona to reach the semi-finals. Meanwhile, the Italian media were incensed that coach Enzo Bearzot was keeping faith with striker Paulo Rossi, who had not scored in any of Italy's previous four games. Rossi became a hero though as his hat-trick helped down Brazil in a classic end-to-end encounter. Antonio Cabrini set the striker up for the opener after just five minutes, but Socrates levelled seven minutes later after a superb one-two with Zico. Rossi put Italy back in front in the 25th minute when he latched on to a stray pass for Cerzo, but again Brazil fought back with Falcao equalising in the 68th minute. Rossi's winner in 75th minute showcased all his predatory instincts as he turned in Marco Tardelli's shot from close range. The great Brazil side were out and it was Italy who moved on. Two goals from Rossi in the semi-final against Poland and then another in the final saw him finish with the Golden Boot as Italy lifted their third World Cup.

Brazil's performance in the 1970 World Cup final was probably the best in international football history. Their galaxy of stars ripped through an Italian side packed with world-class defenders such as Giacinto Facchetti, in a triumph of creativity over organisation. Eighteen minutes in, a cross was hooked in from the left and Pele rose majestically at the back post to plant a header past Enrico Albertosi. However, Brazil's taste for the overelaborate cost them a equaliser just after the half-hour mark, when Roberto Boninsegna intercepted an attempted flick across the back four by Clodaldo, took ball past the onrushing Felix and finished into the empty net. Rivelino rattled the crossbar with a thumping free-kick before Gerson restored Brazil's lead midway through the second half; Gerson threading a 20-yard shot into the bottom right corner. Then Jairzinho, who had scored in every game leading up to the final, completed the set, finishing from close range following a Pele knockdown. Brazil iced the cake in spectacular fashion with one of the truly great team goals, building from the back to find Pele 25 yards from goal. Sensing Carlos Alberto's overlapping run, he played a simple ball to the right, and the full-back blasted a first-time shot past Albertosi. It was Brazil's third World Cup victory in 12 years, and they were allowed to keep the original Jules Rimet trophy.

There is a technical term for matches such as this: absolute belter. Real Madrid completed their unprecedented haul of five consecutive European crowns after winning at Hampden Park, where a young Alex Ferguson's obsession with the trophy began. Frankfurt forward Richard Kress gave the German champions the lead, but that goal only served to awaken the beast. Alfredo di Stefano scored twice from close range to put Real ahead on the half-hour and they never looked back. What followed was a dazzling display of attacking artistry from Los Merengues, with Ferenc Puskas firing into the roof of the net just before half-time. Puskas scored a penalty 10 minutes after the break before a header and a neat turn and finish secured a historic four-goal haul for the Hungarian. That goal sparked a frantic spell of four goals in as many minutes: throughout the Real onslaught Frankfurt still managed to force several saves from keeper Rogelio Dominguez, and Erwin Stein finally beat him, not once but twice, either side of Di Stefano sealing a hat-trick of his own. The match strengthened Real's legacy as entertainers par excellence, and delivered a football lesson to its British audience.

If the Champions League final completed United's treble, this was the game that proved they had the skill and luck to make it possible. Four days after a disappointing goalless draw, the replay supplied goals, drama and a spectacular finale as United saw off their greatest rivals. David Beckham gave United the lead on 17 minutes with a rasping 25-yarder that swerved past David Seaman into the left-hand corner. Dennis Bergkamp restored parity midway through the second half, then saw a shot parried by Peter Schmeichel - Nicolas Anelka tucked away the rebound to spark a pitch invasion that lasted for some time before Arsenal and their fans noticed an offside flag. The match appeared to be slipping away from United when their captain Roy Keane was sent off after picking up a second yellow card. Then a crude hack by Phil Neville on Ray Parlour gave Bergkamp the chance to win it from the penalty spot, but his effort was brilliantly saved by Schmeichel. Having wriggled off the hook, United won the tie in sensational style in extra time. Patrick Vieira surrendered possession to substitute Ryan Giggs, who slalomed out of his own half, beat three defenders and rammed the ball into the roof of the net from a tight angle.

For 90 minutes, this was easily the worst match in this top 100 - a stultifying anti-climax in which Bayern scored early and squeezed the life out of United. Mario Basler unsighted Peter Schmeichel with a low free-kick in the sixth minute and Bayern were on their way. Mehmet Scholl hit the post when he should have scored but, such was the Germans' dominance, it surely wouldn't matter. In a fateful moment of grandstanding, Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld took off Lothar Matthaus four minutes from the end, while other players made celebratory gestures to the fans. Then it all changed in stoppage time. A David Beckham corner was poorly cleared and fell to Ryan Giggs, who completely mis-hit his shot but sent the ball into the path of Teddy Sheringham who swept the ball into the bottom corner. As a broken Bayern side tried to regroup, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer burst forward and won a corner. Beckham's delivery found the head of Sheringham whose flick-on was redirected into the top-right corner by Solskjaer's outstretched boot. United had their treble, Samuel Kuffour beat the turf with his fist, and UEFA president Lennart Johansson emerged from a lift wondering why the trophy he was about to present had United's ribbons on it. As soon-to-be-Sir Alex Ferguson said: football, bloody hell.