In honor of Adam Lallana’s amazing game winner for Liverpool in the Reds' 4-5 away victory against Norwich City last weekend, we put together a top four all-time late game clutch goals.
Top Last Minute Goals
3. Anderson vs. Nautico, 2005
@zh_gremio | Twitter
Many of you will remember Anderson from his not so memorable days playing for Sir Alex Ferguson in the Old Trafford. Nonetheless, what he did on that November afternoon in Recife was nothing short of legendary.
Gremio, one of Brazil’s most popular clubs, was playing for a promotion spot to the Brazilian Serie A against Nautico.
Gremio spent most of the match defending against Nautico’s merciless attacks. The Recife club had a chance to get ahead on the scoreboard still on the first half after the referee called for a penalty, but Bruno Carvalho hit the post.
In the second half things got heated, when the referee sent off Chilean left back Alejandro Escalona. Minutes later, the referee signaled a handball inside Gremio’s box awarding Nautico a penalty and then all hell broke loose. Gremio’s players attacked the referee contesting the call. The police had to intervene to stop the mayhem. It took manager Mano Menezes 20 minutes to calm his players down, and in the midst of all of that Gremio had three more players sent off.
It wasn’t until the 104th minute that Nautico’s defender Ademar took the spot to take the penalty kick. In the fantastic fashion, only soccer can provide, Gremio’s goalkeeper Galatto saved the shot, sending the ball to a corner kick.
Galatto saved another shot after the corner kick, and the ball fell to Anderson’s feet to start one of the most memorable counterattacks ever.
The young winger sped down the left flank and was only stopped when Nautico’s captain Batata hit him with a vicious tackle. Batata was sent off, but Gremio barely waited for the referee to show Batata the red card and quickly took the free kick. Anderson got the ball deeper down into the right side of Nautico’s defense, dribbled two defenders and carved his name in the club’s history with a clinical finish.
2. Adriano vs. Argentina, 2004
@sportscscentral | Twitter
The Brazil vs. Argentina rivalry is always entertaining, but in the 2004 Copa America final the duo took it up a notch. The Argentinians were in full force, ready to win their first major title since the 1993 Copa America. Brazil went to the final without three of their four best players. Carlos Alberto Parreira had to field a team without Ronaldinho, Kaka, and Robinho to play against Marcelo Bielsa’s squad led by Carlos Tevez, Javier Mascherano, and Javier Zanetti.
Argentina took the lead early, as Kily Gonzales capitalized on a 20th-minute penalty kick. Luisao evened things for the Brazilians in the 45th minute and then the match went on a stalemate. Until, in Brazil’s first defensive mistake, Delgado netted the go-ahead goal in the 87th minute.
The Argentinian fans were chanting on the stands, and the young Tevez held up the ball near the corner flag for almost five minutes, frustrating the Brazilian defenders, who were unable to take the ball from him.
Then Bielsa made the bold call of subbing off Tevez for defender Facundo Quiroga.
Not a minute later, with less than 30 seconds remaining in the match a long ball found Adriano inside Argentina’s box. With his back to the goal, he settled the ball and then turned and buried a powerful shot in Roberto Abbondanzieri’s net, sending the match to penalty kicks.
In the shootout Julio Cesar saved one and Heinze shot his over the bar, giving Brazil the Copa America title.
1. Mario Gotze vs. Argentina 2014
@ReadLiverpoolFC | Twitter
Every person has different goals and dreams, but all soccer players share one dream regardless of their background or personality: To score a winning goal in a World Cup Final.
And none has ever achieved that dream in the fashion that Germany’s Mario Gotze did. The match was one for the ages. Germany looking to cap off their amazing tournament with their fourth World Cup title. And on the other side, Lionel Messi was hungry on the hunt for his first ever title with his national team.
Ninety minutes weren’t enough to decide a winner, but right before referee Nicola Rizzoli blew his whistle to end regulation, Joachim Low made the move that won him the World Cup.
The German manager took off the all-time leading World Cup scorer Miroslav Klose, replaced him with the 22-year-old Gotze and the rest is history:
Have another goal that should be on this list? Leave a comment below and let us know!
