27 Jun 2016
Categories: Stag Sports
The greatest thing about sport is its unpredictability. However in modern times the big teams tend to have higher budgets, while many sports are completely overrun by 1 superstar. We therefore value those moments when you realise you have seen something truly magical, the moment that will stay with you till the day you die. Have a read through some of our favourite sporting moments of all time.
OK, I’m biased as a Liverpool fan, but I’d struggle to think of a greater comeback during my lifetime. The Italian captain Paolo Maldini had given Milan the lead, before Crespo added a further two in the first half to leave Liverpool licking their wounds.
As the players went in for half time, it was said all you could hear were the chants of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ blasting through the corridors. Even the Milan players stated that is all they could hear, which caught them by surprise. A motivational speech from Benitez and the chants from the fans blew a new sense of life into the team, as Gerrard quickly got us off the ground. In a seven minute wonder we witnessed a goal from both Smicer and Alonso, to take it to 3-3.
The game certainly wasn’t back in our hands, as Milan kept smashing shots against us, the highlight being Shevchenko’s shot, which led to a double save by Jerzy Dudek, enough to put him down as a Liverpool Legend.
With time finished on extra time, the game went to penalties. Dudek mirrored the scenes of Bruce Grobbelaar with the spaghetti legs seemingly putting off the Milan strikers and winning us the game.
We all hear of amazing shots being made, but when we speak about ‘THE Shot’ we’re often referring to Michael Jordan’s unbelievably dramatic, last-minute shot made for Chicago Bulls. Trailing to the Cleveland Cavaliers throughout the fifth game of the first round of the NBA playoffs, eyes were turned to Michael to do something magic.
Michael had heavily underperformed in the first half, but already had 28 points to his name when he scored with 6 seconds left on the clock. Ehlo was playing with an injured leg and was struggling throughout, however he managed to score with 3 seconds left to go to dramatically take the lead at 99-100. Well, there was only going to be one outcome on this fateful night. Jordan scored right on the buzzer, winning the game with absolutely no time left to play for. What a legend!
George Foreman (now known for his range of grills) was unbeaten in 40 fights and was the world’s greatest. Muhammed Ali, who was historically known for his speed and agility, was now 32 and was nearing the end of his professional career. He had been banned from boxing in 1967 for 3.5 years, however since his return he had been training hard and fighting boxers to help earn him a chance at the title.
George was considerably bigger than Ali and was all over him. Muhammed quickly realised he would have to adjust his tactics and allowed George Foreman to come at him with everything he had. Round after round he took an absolute beating, with the referee constantly having to check whether Ali was capable of carrying on. But the turning point occurred in the sixth round, when George was all punched out and began to slow down. This is when Ali jumped into action and we started to see the champion we recognised from years gone. In the eighth round, Ali struck George with a great right hand swing, which floored him and ended the game. This was an unbelievable story of redemption which we still talk about today.
This was arguably the greatest premier league title race ever, with the title wrapped up with 110 second to go! Manchester UTD needed Man City to draw or lose in order to take the title and had already won their match, with the fans and players shouting out for answers on the Man City score.
This game had it all though, from Joey Barton’s outbreak and sending off to the most dramatic endings ever. 2-1 down and entering stoppage time, the game looked like it was finished and there were even some of the 47,000 Man City fans seen walking out. But then up jumped Dzeko to score the equaliser from a Silva corner.
This breathed belief back into the fans, as the crowd went into pandemonium. Then with just under 2 minutes left of stoppage time remaining, the pass was made into the right hand side of the box and up came the Blues hero, Sergio Aguero. The man who has just reached 100 premier league goals put himself into Man City folklore with a moment that brought half the crowd into tears of joy. We had just witnessed something special and nobody could believe it!
This was Germany’s opportunity to show the world how much they had developed since the first world war. It was unfortunately also a chance for Nazi Germany to highlight their belief that the Aryan people were the dominant force. One man didn’t read the script however and the African American track and field athlete Jesse Owen’s recorded 4 golds for USA. Winning the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay and the long jump, Jesse was the most successful athlete of the entire games.
Becoming the most successful athlete in Olympic history, Phelps just blew everyone away in the swimming competitions. It is hard to imagine anyone beating this record within the next 40 years, while his quick recovery is what many people often put his success down to. He has stated in interviews that he would do several hours of swimming, to then feel absolutely fine an hour later without any aches or strains. This is what helped him to keep going when he was younger, without the need to pause or rest the body.
Bjorn had won the last four Wimbledon titles, while McEnroe was his closest competitor, constantly battling for the grand slams in the finals or semi-finals. It was however the 1980’s Wimbledon final that always stays in the memory as the greatest demonstration of sporting rivalry. The match was even throughout, constantly changing hands and with the fans completely unable to predict the outcome.
Bjorn eventually went on to win his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title. This match also helped to spread interest in both Tennis and Wimbledon globally.
Do you think we missed any off? Let us know in the comments below.
Tom is our SEO expert and Senior Digital Marketer at The Stag Company. He has a huge passion for travelling, playing the saxophone, the gym and completing as many life experiences as possible.
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