Six of the greatest sporting comebacks to inspire the Lions
With a mountain to climb against New Zealand this weekend, Warren Gatland's Lions should look to history for inspiration
Trailing 1-0 in their three-match series against New Zealand, the Lions were looking for a big performance against the Hurricanes on Tuesday to shift the momentum of their tour.
Instead, they threw away a handy lead to draw the game 31-31. But history has shown that just because you are down, doesn't mean you are out. Here are six of the greatest sporting comebacks to inspire Gatland's team as they prepare for their two final tests.
Botham's Ashes, 1981
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It's hard to overstate just how dreadful England were at the beginning of the 1981 Ashes series. A hammering at Trent Bridge was followed by a draw at Lord's, after which Ian Botham stepped down as captain.
Then came Headingley.
England, famously, were given odds of 500-1 after being forced to follow on in the third Test before Botham came in with the score at 105-5 and produced one of the all-time great innings under pressure - an unbeaten 149 from 148 balls. A brilliant 8-43 from Bob Willis wrapped things up and, momentum well and truly shifted, England went on to take the series 3-1.
Manchester United, 1996
Newcastle looked, in every way, the absolute business at the start of the 1995/96 Premiership season. At one point in January, they sat 12 points clear of Manchester United at the top of the table.
But Kevin Keegan's free-flowing, attacking style began to look more naive than buccaneering as they haemorrhaged points through the spring, while United rolled on like an unstoppable juggernaut.
In the end, it wasn't even close. Sir Alex Ferguson's side took the lead in March, and not even Keegan's infamous "I would love it if we beat them" rant could stop English football's most prolific winners from finishing the season four points clear.
Liverpool, 2005
Possibly the most famous game of football in the last 20 years, Liverpool's slim Champions League hopes looked utterly lost at half-time in the 2005 final.
Paolo Maldini started the scoring for AC Milan in the first minute before a quick-fire double from Hernan Crespo left the Reds staring down the barrel of a 3-0 deficit at half-time. Less than 15 minutes later, Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso had levelled the scores and – thanks to some heroics from Jerzy Dudek against Andriy Shevchenko – Liverpool lifted the trophy at the end of an astonishing night.
Ryder Cup, 2012
Rarely has a historically individual sport seen such a feat of team unity as the Miracle at Medinah. Trailing 10-6 coming into the final day's play, Europe needed to win a massive eight and a half points out of the 12 available to retain their crown in Illinois.
By the time Tiger Woods conceded the 18th hole to Francesco Molinari to close out the day's play with half a point each, the turnaround was complete - an emotional Jose Maria Olazabal dedicating the win to the late Seve Ballesteros.
Super Bowl LI, 2017
The game that caused a hundred thousand bleary eyed "wait, what?" moments when UK fans, having turned in for a wink of sleep after the Atlanta Falcons went 28-3 up on the New England Patriots, woke up and checked the final score.
Nineteen unanswered fourth-quarter points saw a Tom Brady-led Pats team take the game to overtime. Finally, third-year running back James White finished the game off with a two-yard run to break Falcons hearts.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why Bhutan hopes tourists will put a smile back on its face
Under The Radar The 'kingdom of happiness' is facing economic problems and unprecedented emigration
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
7 beautiful towns to visit in Switzerland during the holidays
The Week Recommends Find bliss in these charming Swiss locales that blend the traditional with the modern
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Werewolf bill
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
Liverpool 7 Man Utd 0: ‘welcome to Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool 2.0’
feature Anfield’s ‘new front three’ were on fire in the humbling of their bitter rivals
By Mike Starling Published
-
Has Liverpool been weakened by Jürgen Klopp’s ‘seven-year itch’?
feature After seven years at Anfield, critics are wondering whether his magic is wearing off
By The Week Staff Published
-
Who is Darwin Nunez? The ‘modern striker’ signing for Liverpool
Why Everyone’s Talking About Portuguese club Benfica confirm a deal for the Uruguay international worth up to €100m
By Mike Starling Published
-
Uefa Champions League final: blame game begins for chaos in Paris
feature Liverpool call for an investigation as Uefa are accused of a ‘narrative of lies’
By Mike Starling Published
-
2022 Uefa Champions League final: Liverpool vs. Real Madrid preview, predictions and TV
feature Everything you need to know ahead of Saturday’s showpiece in Paris
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
2022 FA Cup final: Chelsea vs. Liverpool preview, predictions, kick-off time and TV coverage
feature Premier League rivals go head-to-head in another Wembley final
By Mike Starling Published
-
The ‘quadruple’: can Liverpool achieve footballing immortality?
feature With silverware in their sights, Jurgen Klopp’s team are peaking at the right time
By The Week Staff Published
-
Humiliation at Anfield: is this the worst Man Utd team for 30 years?
feature Gary Neville calls his former side a ‘waste of space’ after 4-0 thrashing at Liverpool
By Mike Starling Published