Last-minute goal

The term "last-minute goal" is used in sport, primarily association football, to describe a goal scored very late in a game. It may not necessarily refer to a goal scored in the actual final minute (last minute goal). In football, the definition of a last-minute goal commonly used is one scored in the final or penultimate minute of normal or extra time or in stoppage time at the end of a match. The "golden goal" briefly used to decide extra time in some tournaments is not considered a last-minute goal unless meeting the above criteria. Penalties scored in a shootout are never considered last-minute goals.

Last-minute goals have decided the outcome of several important football leagues and trophies, including the UEFA Champions League, Scottish Premier League, Football League First Division, FA Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup and The Treble itself.

Notable last-minute goals

This list is not comprehensive, including notable goals from higher levels of national or international football.

Continental Cup competition

• 1995 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final - Real Zaragoza vs. Arsenal, 10 May 1995: In the final minute of extra time (timed at 119:16), with the match heading to penalties, a spectacular 40-yard shot from Real Zaragoza's Nayim cleared Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman, winning the cup for Zaragoza. Despite Nayim being at least 15 yards inside the Arsenal half and not being able to see it on camera, the goal is often incorrectly referred to as a goal from the half-way line.

• 1999 UEFA Champions League Final (and The Treble) - Manchester United vs. Bayern Munich, 26 May 1999: Arguably the most famous example, where United scored two last-minute goals against Bayern to clinch the trophy and the Treble. Bayern led 1–0 going into injury time, but goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær turned the game on its head and won the match for United. The goals, timed at 90:36 and 92:17, came so late that the trophy already had Bayern ribbons attached to it.

• 2008–09 UEFA Champions League semi-final - Chelsea vs. Barcelona, 6 May 2009: In one of the most controversial matches in recent memory Chelsea went into the final minutes of the 2nd leg 1–0 up and on course to reach the final. Barcelona by their own high standards were poor on the night having failed to register a single shot on target and rode their luck at times, with Chelsea having 4 credible penalty appeals turned down. They also had to play the remaining minutes with ten men. Then with the clock timed at 92:10 Andrés Iniesta, assisted by Lionel Messi, scored for Barcelona to give them the crucial away goal that sent them to the final and ultimately victory over Manchester United and The Treble.

Domestic Cup

• 1979 FA Cup Final - Arsenal vs. Manchester United, 12 May 1979: In this match, known as "the five-minute final", Arsenal were beating United 2–0 with five minutes remaining, but United then drew level by scoring two goals in two minutes. However, their celebrations were short-lived when Alan Sunderland scored Arsenal's winning goal just a minute later.

• 1993 FA Cup Final replay - Arsenal vs. Sheffield Wednesday, 20 May 1993: With the first 1993 FA Cup final between Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday ending in a 1–1 draw, the same scoreline stood in extra time during the replay. However, the 119th minute saw Arsenal defender Andy Linighan outjump Wednesday's Mark Bright to head in the winning goal. Linighan played most of the match with a broken nose, having been deliberately stuck in the face earlier in the match by Bright, and his winner made Arsenal the first English side to win the domestic cup double.

• 2002 Scottish Cup Final - Celtic vs. Rangers, 4 May 2002: With Old Firm rivals Celtic and Rangers drawing 2–2 in second-half stoppage time, Neil McCann sent in a far post cross for Peter Løvenkrands to nod the ball over Celtic goalkeeper Rab Douglas from close range to win the cup for Rangers. The goal came with less than eleven seconds left to play, barely giving Celtic enough time to take the resulting kick-off from the centre.

• 2006 FA Cup Final - Liverpool vs. West Ham United, 13 May 2006: West Ham were leading 3–2 going into injury time, but Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard scored what proved to be the Goal of the Season with a tremendous 30-yard strike, timed at 90:08. Liverpool went on to win the match on penalties.

Domestic league

• 1988–89 Football League First Division - Liverpool vs. Arsenal, 26 May 1989: The final goal in the final minute of the final game of the season won Arsenal the First Division title. Arsenal had to beat championship rivals Liverpool by two clear goals or more to win the title; any other result would mean an eighteenth title for Liverpool. Arsenal, the away team, lead 1–0 at 90 minutes, and in the last minute of injury-time (91:22), Michael Thomas ran through the Liverpool defence and scored a dramatic goal to win the title for the Gunners. This match is often remembered for commentator Brian Moore's famous phrase "It's up for grabs now!" as Thomas ran through to score.

• 1998–99 Football League Third Division - Carlisle United vs. Plymouth Argyle, 8 May 1999: The final match of the 1998-99 third division season and a notable occurrence of a goalkeeper scoring an important last minute goal. With ten seconds remaining, Carlisle goalkeeper Jimmy Glass scored from a corner, keeping Carlisle in business and in the Football League. It was rated seventh in the Times' "50 Most Important Goals" and 72nd in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Sporting Moments.

• 2000–01 Fußball-Bundesliga - Hamburg vs. Bayern Munich, 19 May 2001: The final day of the Bundesliga season saw Bayern Munich in the lead to Schalke by three points. Due to their inferior goal difference, Bayern needed at least a draw at their match at Hamburger SV to secure the championship, while Schalke faced SpVgg Unterhaching at home and managed to win 5–3. In the 90th minute of the Bayern match, a goal by Sergej Barbarez put Hamburg 1–0 up and, believing that Schalke had won their first Bundesliga championship for over forty years, Schalke fans ran onto the pitch to celebrate the title even though the match in Hamburg still wasn't over. In the third minute of extra time, Hamburg goalkeeper Mathias Schober - who ironically was on loan from Schalke for the second half of the season - picked up an alleged back pass with his hands and referee Markus Merk awarded an indirect free-kick for Bayern about eight metres from the Hamburg goal. Bayern defender Patrik Andersson shot the ball through the wall of Hamburg defenders into the net making Bayern the league champions for the 17th time in club history. Schalke would later be dubbed 'champion of hearts' due to their close loss of Bundesliga title they believed to have already won.

• 2004–05 Scottish Premier League - Motherwell vs. Celtic, 25 May 2005: The final day of the Scottish Premier League season saw Celtic and their Old Firm rivals Rangers battling it out for the league title. Both teams were winning their respective matches; Celtic were 1–0 up against Motherwell at Fir Park whilst Rangers were winning 1–0 against Hibernian at Easter Road. As things stood, Celtic would win the SPL title by just two points, but Motherwell striker Scott McDonald scored an unlikely equaliser in the 88th minute. This meant that Rangers would win the title as long as they beat Hibernian. Then, less than two minutes later, as Celtic pushed forward to try to salvage the title, McDonald was able to score again and give Motherwell a 2–1 win. Rangers hung on to win and were crowned champions, winning by a single point. Ironically, McDonald signed for Celtic two years later and helped them to win the title in the 2007–08 season.

• 2006–07 La Liga - Real Zaragoza vs. Real Madrid, 10 June 2007: In the penultimate match of the season, Real Madrid were second in the table, losing 2–1 against Zaragoza and Barcelona in first, winning 2–1 against Espanyol, both in the 88th minute. In a turn of events, Ruud van Nistelrooy scored the equaliser at La Romareda. 17 seconds later, Raúl Tamudo also levelled for Espanyol at Camp Nou, claiming the title for Madrid.

• 2007-08 Premier League - Manchester City vs. Fulham, 26th April 2008: Going into this game Fulham found themselves on the brink of relegation and knew anything less than a win and they would surely have no chance of staying up. At half time they were 2-0 down and mathematically relegated thanks to results elsewhere. However, the introduction of much maligned striker Diomansy Kamara sparked an incredible fightback by the cottagers. In the 70th minute he pulled one back before Danny Murphy converted a rebounded penalty to make it 2-2 with 10 minutes remaining. Kamara then fired a 92nd minute winner to give Fulham an incredible 3-2 win, which proved to be the catalyst for a late survival bid that saw them win their final two games and remain in the league on goal difference.

• 2007–08 Persian Gulf Cup - Persepolis vs. Sepahan, 17 May 2008: Persepolis won the 2007–08 Persian Gulf Cup in the final game of the season at the Azadi Stadium after Sepehr Heidari scored a header, timed at 90+6', to give them a 2–1 result against Sepahan. Persepolis needed to win this final game of the season at home to win the title, while eventual runners-up Sepahan only needed to avoid defeat to win the league instead.

• 2009–10 Israeli Premier League - Beitar Jerusalem vs. Hapoel Tel Aviv, 15 May 2010: To win the title, Hapoel had to win their final match of the season in the stadium of their great rivals, while Maccabi Haifa also had to drop points against Bnei Yehuda. Both matches were tied at 1–1 going into stoppage time, but Hapoel's Eran Zahavi scored in the 92nd minute to win the match and the title for his team.

• 2011 A-League Grand Final, 13 March 2011: The game to decide the Australian champions was goalless in the first 90 minutes. In the first half of extra time, the Central Coast Mariners scored two goals to seemingly clinch the title. However, Brisbane Roar scored two goals in three minutes, including one with almost the last kick of the match, to draw level and send the game to penalties. Brisbane then went on to win 4–2 on penalties.

• 2010–11 Premier League - Arsenal vs. Liverpool, 17 April 2011: Due to Jamie Carragher's concussion injury earlier in the game, there were to be eight minutes of added time. With 90+8' minutes of the game gone, many fans had already left the ground when Arsenal won a penalty for Liverpool's Jay Spearing fouled Cesc Fàbregas in the penalty area. Robin van Persie slotted home. However, the game proceeded and on 90+10', Liverpool were awarded a free kick on the edge of the box. Luis Suárez hit the wall and as the ball knocked around in the box, Emmanuel Eboué tripped over Lucas Leiva to give away another penalty, which was slotted home by Dirk Kuyt on 90+12'. Kuyt's goal was the latest goal ever scored in the Football League or Premier League in 123 years.

International

• 1998 FIFA World Cup quarter-final - Netherlands vs. Argentina, 4 July 1998: The quarter-final between Argentina and Netherlands looked to be heading for extra-time until Dennis Bergkamp netted a 90th minute winner from a 60-yard (55 m) pass by Frank de Boer to take the Dutch into the World Cup semi-finals for the first time in twenty years.

• 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group 9 - England vs. Greece, 6 October 2001: David Beckham's 93rd-minute (92:43) free-kick levelled the game at 2–2 and ensured that England qualified for the 2002 World Cup as group winners.

• 2006 FIFA World Cup semi-final: Germany and Italy, 4 July 2006. The game was even at 0–0 and looked set to be heading to a penalty shootout when, in the last minute of extra-time, Fabio Grosso scored for Italy. As Germany pushed for a quick equaliser, they allowed Italy to counter attack, and Alessandro Del Piero added a second to give Italy a 2–0 win and send them through the final, and eventual World Cup glory. Italy also won their first knockout-round match against Australia with a last minute penalty from Francesco Totti.

• UEFA Euro 2008 – Turkey: A number of vital last-minute goals defined Turkey's progression through the tournament, with the Turks leading games for only nine total minutes up to the semi-finals. Versus Switzerland in Group A, an injury time (92nd) minute goal by Arda Turan kept the Turks in the tournament. In the subsequent group decider against the Czech Republic, Turkey came back from 2–0 down to win 3–2 with a last minute (89th) winner by Nihat Kahveci. In the quarter-final match versus Croatia, Ivan Klasnić scored in the last minute of normal extra-time (119th) and looked to have booked Croatia's place in the semi-finals but once again with the last kick of added time (123rd), Semih Şentürk of Turkey levelled the score at 1–1 to take the game into penalties, which Turkey won 3–1. Ironically, a last minute (90th) goal by Philipp Lahm of Germany subsequently eliminated Turkey 3–2 in the semi-final.

• 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification CONCACAF fourth round: United States vs Costa Rica, 14 October 2009. On the final day of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, Costa Rica needed to win against the United States to qualify (the U.S. had already qualified) and force Honduras into the CONCACAF-CONMEBOL playoff against Uruguay. Honduras had to win and hope for a United States win or draw to qualify. Honduras won their match against El Salvador by 1-0; at the same time, the Costa Ricans were winning 2-1. However, referee Benito Archundia ordered five minutes of stoppage time because Costa Rican manager René Simoes, who had been sent off, refused to leave the pitch. The game was delayed while police were called in to escort Simoes off the pitch. At 94:40, Jonathan Bornstein scored off of a corner kick for the United States. The game ended 2-2, meaning Honduras qualified on goal difference. Costa Rica, who were twenty seconds away from qualifying, faced Uruguay in the inter-confederation playoff, which Uruguay eventually won.

• 2010 FIFA World Cup Group C: United States vs Algeria, 23 June 2010. The United States needed to win their final Group C match as England were beating Slovenia 1-0 in the other match. As things stood, England would win the group and Slovenia would go through at the United States' expense, but Landon Donovan slotted the ball home in the first minute of stoppage time to sent the United States to the top of the group, while Slovenia were eliminated.

• 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup semi-final: Mexico vs Germany, 7 July 2011. Mexico and Germany were tied with only 1 minute left before injury time, Julio Gómez, who earlier in the match collided his head with German forward Samed Yesil, who both missed the ball as Jorge Espericueta curled the ball into the net from a corner, scored the winning goal for Mexico from a corner with a bicycle kick which hit the bottom-right post and went in. With this goal, Mexico went on to beat Germany in the semifinals and clinched the title after beat Uruguay in the final.

• 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup quarter-final: United States vs Brazil, 10 July 2011. Brazil was winning 2 to 1, but in the second minute of injury time Abby Wambach scored to tie up the game 2-2. The United States won the following penalty shootout. Wambach's goal not only saved the United States from elimination, but also prevented their worst ever finish at the FIFA Women's World Cup. The feat was all the more impressive considering that the United States had played half of the match with ten players following the controversial sending off of Rachel Buehler. Ironically the United States were defeated in the final by Japan in almost identical fashion, when Homare Sawa scored with three minutes remaining to tie the game at 2-2 and win the game in a penalty shootout for Japan to win the FIFA Women's World Cup for the first time.

• UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group G - Andrija Delibašić scored on 90:15 to equalise 2-2 against England and clinch a playoff spot for Montenegro, in only their second major tournament and first European championship qualification round as a nation.

In fiction

The last-minute goal is often used in fiction due to the dramatic nature and possibility for a cliffhanger ending. It was used frequently in the television football drama Dream Team, with the show finishing at the end of its final series on a fictional last-minute goal for Harchester United to win the Premier League. The real-life last-minute goal, scored by Michael Thomas, was used as a plot device in the novel Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby and subsequent films of the same name. In the film Mike Bassett: England Manager, England score a last-minute winner against old rivals Argentina (which parodies both the Hand of God and Maradona's Goal of the Century which were scored against England) to save Bassett's job. In addition to this, a last-minute goal by Luxembourg against Turkey allows Bassett's England to qualify for the World Cup.