BARCELONA, Spain - Barcelona may have defied the odds and defied belief with a stunning comeback win over Paris St Germain in the Champions League second round on Wednesday, but sports history is full of amazing comeback stories.
The Catalan giants overturned a 4-0 first leg defeat by winning 6-1 in the second leg to win the tie on aggregate, in what has since become know as the "Miracle at the Nou Camp". Here are three similarly unbelievable comebacks from recent history that rival the Blaugrana's achievement.
The 2005 Champions League final - Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul
The first "miracle" on the list comes from the same competition, albeit over ten years earlier, when Liverpool came back from three goals down to beat AC Milan.
The Reds had been forced to fight their way into the competition proper with a narrow 2-1 aggregate win over minnows Grazer AK in the third qualifying round, and were not expect to achieve much in the competition. However, they went on to record improbable wins over Chelsea and Juventus in the quarters and semis respectively before coming up against a star studded AC Milan side in the final.
Goals from Paolo Maldini and Hernan Crespo (2) sent Liverpool into the change rooms 3-0 down and all but beaten, but the Reds refused to give up. They scored three goals in just six minutes, with Steven Gerrard, Vladimír Šmicer and Xabi Alonso netting between the 54th and 60th minutes, to take the match to extra time.
Liverpool eventually won the penalty shootout 3-2, to win their first Champions League title in over 20 years.
The 2012 Ryder Cup – Medinah Country Club, Medinah Illinois
Golf fans won't need any reminding about the "Miracle at Medinah". Played every two years; the Ryder Cup pits the best golfers from the USA against the best of Europe, with the venue switching between the two continents with each installment.
The USA made home ground advantage count in 2012, building a 10-4 lead over the first two days and heading into the final day seemingly assured of victory.
Against all odds, Europe fought back to win 14.5-13.5 thanks to Martin Kaymer's winning putt on the last green.
Team Europe celebrate after their win over the United States. Photo: Reuters/Jeff Haynes
The last "miracle" on the list is also the most recent and comes from the 2017 Super Bowl - the most significant sports match on the American Football calendar.
The Atlanta Falcons had a 21-3 lead over the New England Patriots at half-time and went on to extend the lead to 28-3 early in the third quarter. However, they would not score any more points in the game. The Patriots, led by quarter-back Tom Brady, scored 31 unanswered points to win the match 34-28.
Over 30 different individual and team records where broke or matched in the historical clash.
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady holds the Vince Lombardi trophy after his team's victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Photo: Reuters/Adrees Latif @LiamCPT