There have been countless moments of pure magic throughout the history of FIFA World Cups, but none of them are comparable to great comebacks. This type of game has changed the tournament's fate and made its way into football history. It included teams that managed to turn around things after an initial setback and those that managed to overcome incredible deficits. Some of the comebacks resulted in a world title, whereas others managed to save the team's chances of winning the tournament.

There have been quite a number of FIFA World Cup games that offered late drama, but there have only been a couple of them that stood out. While some took place during the finals, others occurred during knockout games when a team was facing an automatic exit from the tournament.

5 Best Matches in FIFA World Cup

Portugal 5-3 North Korea (1966)

Portugal produced one of the most famous recoveries in World Cup history during the quarter-final in 1966. North Korea stunned the favourites by racing into a 3-0 lead through goals from Pak Seung-zin, Li Dong-woon and Yang Seung-kook. However, Portugal responded through the brilliance of Eusébio. He scored four times, including a penalty, to erase the deficit. José Augusto added the fifth goal as Portugal completed a remarkable 5-3 victory after trailing by three goals.

Austria 7-5 Switzerland (1954)

The highest-scoring match in World Cup history delivered another extraordinary comeback. Switzerland surged into a 3-0 lead inside the opening 20 minutes of the quarter-final. Austria then struck back with five goals before halftime to completely reverse the contest. Alfred Körner scored twice, while Theodor Wagner netted two goals of his own. Austria eventually secured a 7-5 victory after a relentless attacking display in extreme summer conditions.

West Germany 3-2 Hungary (1954)

Known as the “Miracle of Bern,” the 1954 final remains one of football’s greatest shocks. Hungary, unbeaten in 31 matches and winners over West Germany earlier in the tournament, stormed into a 2-0 lead within eight minutes through Ferenc Puskás and Zoltán Czibor. West Germany responded immediately with goals from Max Morlock and Helmut Rahn. Then, in the 84th minute, Rahn struck again to complete a comeback that delivered the nation’s first World Cup title.

West Germany 3-3 France (5-4 on penalties) (1982)

The 1982 semi-final produced one of the most dramatic reversals seen at the tournament. France moved 3-1 ahead during extra time and appeared set for the final. Yet West Germany refused to fold. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge scored in the 102nd minute before Klaus Fischer levelled six minutes later. The match went to penalties, where West Germany prevailed 5-4 to complete a stunning escape.

France 2-1 Croatia (1998)

France looked in danger of a home World Cup exit when Croatia took the lead through Davor Šuker early in the second half of the semi-final. The response came almost immediately. Defender Lilian Thuram scored in the 47th minute and added another in the 70th. Despite playing the closing stages under pressure after a red card to Laurent Blanc, France held on for a 2-1 win before later lifting the World Cup trophy.