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Excitement is building steadily as the 2026 FIFA World Cup comes into view and what better way to whet your appetite for the main event than with a look back at some of the tournament’s most extraordinary comeback victories?
MansionBet aims to be your ultimate World Cup betting resource this year and as part of our package, we’ve been publishing feature pieces about the competition’s history.
In this entry, we’re recounting some of the moments when teams, who were staring down the barrel of defeat, rescued dramatic wins from the ashes in a triumphant manner. We begin our retrospective journey relatively recently in 2018.
5. The Red Devils’ Late Surge: Belgium 3-2 Japan (2018 World Cup Round of 16)
Belgium’s Golden Generation never fully realised their potential, however, they came closest in 2018 when they finished third at the World Cup in Russia.
On their path to bronze in Rostov, Belgium overcame a significant hurdle in the Round of 16 when they battled back from a two-goal deficit to beat a spirited Japan.
With the tie deadlocked and scoreless at half time, the Japanese came out of the blocks quickly after the interval to establish a two-goal lead through strikes from Genki Haraguchi (48th minute) and Takashi Inui (52nd minute).
A Belgian collective, featuring stellar names like Vincent Kompany, Toby Alderweireld, Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku, seemed destined for a bet-busting early exit.
Instead, the Red Devils moved through the gears and hit back through defender Jan Vertonghen’s looped header in the 69th minute. Just five minutes later, Belgium were level thanks to another headed goal, this time from Marouane Fellaini.
Powered by fresh momentum, Belgium pushed for a dramatic winner, though the game’s defining moment didn’t come until deep into stoppage time.
It actually started when Belgian keeper Thibaut Courtois caught a Japanese corner cleanly before launching a devastating counter attack.
De Bruyne carried the ball through midfield with purpose before feeding the ball wide to Thomas Meunier. The marauding fullback squared it centrally where Lukaku was waiting.
But instead of finishing the chance himself, Lukaku cleverly let the ball run to the better-placed Nacer Chadli to slide the ball home.
Cue delirium in the stands and on the pitch for those with Belgian connections and scenes of utter heartbreak on the Japanese side.
4. Lineker’s Penalties: England 3-2 Cameroon (1990 World Cup Quarter-Final)
England’s tussle with Cameroon at Italia 90 really had everything and this classic World Cup contest in Naples actually featured not one, but two comebacks.
A team of skill, raw power and physicality, Cameroon captured hearts in Italy four decades ago as the first African team ever to reach the World Cup quarter finals.
This was the Indominable Lions, clad in their iconic green kits, against the Three Lions, in their brilliant white. It was a clash of cultures and playing styles that made for an enthralling watch.
England took an early lead through David Platt (25th minute) but were pegged back by second-half efforts from Cameroon’s Emmanuel Kunde (pen. 61st) and Ebelle Ekeke (65th minute), before Gary Lineker scored an 83rd-minute equaliser from the spot.
As the game ticked into extra time, England were on the ropes as Cameroon peppered Peter Shilton’s goal with a series of shots and headers.
However, in the 105th minute, England broke forward and in a match marked by numerous heavy tackles, Lineker was hacked down in the box to earn another penalty.
The same player slammed home from 12 yards for the second time to ultimately get England over the line, though the Three Lions were battered and bruised by the experience.
3. The Game of the Century: Italy 4-3 West Germany (1970 World Cup Semi-Final)
Few World Cup knockout games have lived up to their billing quite like the 1970 semi-final between Ferruccio Valcareggi’s Italy and Helmut Schön’s West Germany.
Played in the searing heat and altitude of the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, the encounter got better and better as it unfolded, with end-to-end drama from the first whistle to the last.
The Italians struck first through Roberto Boninsegna in the 8th minute and that goal threatened to be the only one scored before Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, who played his club football with AC Milan, equalised to force extra time.
From there, the tie took on new energy, with an incredible five goals scored during the additional 30 minutes. First, Gerd “Der Bomber” Muller put Germany in front, before Tarcisio Burgnich levelled almost instantly for Italy.
Luigi Riva restored the Azzurri’s advantage before that man Müller equalised again and with a penalty shootout looking likely, the legendary Gianni Rivera bagged an 111th-minute winner, finally splitting the two evenly-matched outfits.
The seven goals scored, coupled with the emotional and physical toll on players and spectators, earned the game “The Game of the Century.”
2. Eusébio’s Masterclass: Portugal 5-3 North Korea (1966 World Cup Quarter-Final)
The 1996 World Cup is best associated with England’s solitary triumph at the tournament, though that year also produced one of the most astonishing rescue acts ever performed in the competition.
North Korea, who were 66’s surprise package had already taken the scalp of a strong Italy side before engaging with an equally formidable Portuguese team in the quarter finals at Goodison Park in Liverpool.
Incredibly, the Asian nation catapulted themselves into a 3-0 lead early doors through goals from Pak Seung-zin (1′) and Li Dong-woon (22’), Yang Seung-kook (25′), leaving onlookers gaping at what looked like an inevitable, major upset.
However, what followed was pure sporting theatre. Eusébio, the legendary “Black Panther,” took the game by the scruff of the neck, scoring four times in a devastating second-half showcase of skill and finesse.
Eusébio had dragged Portugal level by 56 minutes and put them in front from the penalty spot just before the hour mark. Jose Augusto put the tie beyond doubt with a fifth Portuguese goal in the 80th minute to complete a stirring comeback.
North Korea were eliminated and wouldn’t appear at a World Cup again until 2010, while Portugal were ousted by eventual winners England in the next round.
1. The Miracle of Bern: West Germany 3-2 Hungary (1954 World Cup Final)
No rundown of the greatest ever World Cup comebacks would be complete without the inclusion of the 1954 final, which is still widely regarded as one of the most dramatic in the history of football as a whole.
Hungary, the “Magical Magyars”, entered the climactic contest in Berne as overwhelming favourites to prevail and had gone a massive 31 matches unbeaten in the run up to the ’54 World Cup final.
Earlier in the same tournament, they had dismantled West Germany 8-3 in a group stage tussle that spoke to the Hungarians’ class.
This was a side that had stars like József Bozsik, József Tóth, Sándor Kocsis, Nándor Hidegkuti, Zoltán Czibor and Ferenc Puskas in their ranks, and they looked unstoppable.
Indeed, it was Puskas who opened the scoring the final after just six minutes and when the dangerous Czibor added a second just two minutes later, it looked like curtains for the West Germans.
However, the tide turned quickly and efforts from Max Morlock (10’) and Helmut Rhan (18’), brought West Germany level inside a frenetic first quarter of the game.
Those rapid equalisers planted seeds of doubt in the Hungarian psyche, leading to a tense contest right up until the match’s dying embers.
In the 84th minute, Rahan arrived on the scene, cutting back on his left foot before placing a powerful shot into the corner past the ailing dive of keeper Gyula Grosics.
The final whistle triggered scenes of ecstasy as West Germany claimed their first World Cup title in what would be known forever as the “Miracle of Bern.”
West Germany’s World Cup win represented much more than silverware. It symbolised the country’s continued recovery in the post-war era, while also ending Hungary’s beloved golden generation.
