MOST DRAMATIC FINALS EVER: From England's maiden Cricket World Cup to football success in 1966

There are some sporting moments that will forever remain in conversation for the greatest ever final, greatest ever shot or greatest ever game. 

Eoin Morgan guiding England to their first Cricket World Cup at Lord's entered the discussion over the weekend to join other highlights such as Liverpool's Champions League final comeback in Istanbul and Rafael Nadal's epic Wimbledon win over Roger Federer in 2008.  

While the list is in no particular order, Sportsmailhas gone through the archives to take a look at 10 of the most dramatic finals in sporting history. 

Level after 100 overs and stilllevel after a thrilling super over, England could not have scripted a more dramatic finish to winning their maiden Cricket World Cup. 

Both sides produced 241 runs from 50 overs of cricket and that triggered a tense, but thrilling, super over to determine who would be crowned World Cup champions at Lord's. 

Ben Stokes played a starring role in getting England that far after he deflected a fielded ball back to the wicketkeeper and onto the boundary while he was mid-air trying to get back to the crease. 

Nothing quite like it has been seen before in the most high-profile of games. Stokes stepped up in the super over and helped England to 15 runs, as New Zealand knew what they needed. 

The Kiwis kept it close and needed two runs off the final ball in the super over. But as Martin Guptill ran back to the wicket hoping to seal a famous win for the Kiwis with the score level, Jos Buttler ran him out to seal a famous win for England.

One of the all-time great sporting finals.  

The 2019 installment certainly ran the epic from 2008 very close but for two players trading blows with the light vanishing, Roger Federer's Centre Court defeat to Rafael Nadal makes the list. 

The pair met in the SW19 finale the previous year with Federer winning that one in five sets. And so a wounded Nadal fought back 12 months on with a breathtaking display against the indefatigable Swiss. 

Federer was looking to win his sixth consecutive Wimbledon title and looked like he had pulled a rabbit out of the hat when, after losing the first two sets, he won the following two to force a final set shoot-out. 

But after four hours and 48 minutes of play, Nadal sealed it with next to no light left on court, the match close to being halted until the next day. 

The Spaniard collapsed onto his back, a trademark celebration throughout his career, and it remains one of the greatest matches in tennis history.  

At half-time Liverpool's hopes of winning the European Cup appeared to be over. 3-0 down to a powerful AC Milan side in Istanbul, all hope was seemingly lost for Rafa Benitez's side. 

But the Reds rallied like nothing many football fans had seen before in the second half and scored three goals in a frantic six-minute spell thanks to Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso. 

Extra-time came and went with the game finely poised and with Liverpool 3-2 up in the penalty shootout, up stepped Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko. The Ukrainian's spot-kick was saved by Jerzy Dudek and one of the greatest comebacks in sport was complete. 

This game will be remembered in Liverpool folklore forever.  

Legends. Each and every one of them. 

But when Wolfgang Weller equalised for Germany with a minute left of the final, England's hopes of a maiden World Cup were dashed. 

Sir Alf Ramsey was the manager and with the brief moment he had with his players before extra time his message was clear: 'You've won it once. Now you'll have to go out there and win it again.'

And win it they did. Geoff Hurst struck twice to complete an iconic hat-trick as England toasted a first ever football World Cup on home soil. 

The image of Bobby Moore on the shoulders of team-mates and lifting the trophy is far and away one of the most iconic sporting photographs of all time.  

Coventry City arrived at the old Wembley Stadium as serious underdogs against a Tottenham side widely expected to canter to the FA Cup title. The north Londoners were going for a record eighth win at the time, while it was Coventry's first domestic cup final. 

Surely then, this was to be a formality? Not so... 

Clive Allen gave Tottenham a lead inside two minutes before Dave Bennett got Coventry back on level terms. Gary Mabbutt put Spurs ahead once more and the momentum was firmly back with the favourites.  

The tension was palpable in front of 96,000 fans but then came the goal that remains one of the most famous in FA Cup history. The cross was fizzed in from Coventry's right and was met in the area with a diving header from Keith Houchen.

Houchen's goal sparked wild celebrations for those in blue and white and the turnaround was complete six minutes into extra-time as Mabbutt scored an own-goal to hand Coventry a famous victory.  

While it is no doubt one to forget for Mabbutt, this is a one of Houchen and Coventry's most defining moments.  

When Mario Balser put Bayern Munich ahead at the Nou Camp in 1999, Sir Alex Ferguson's hopes of a famous treble were fading fast. 

The German side are formidable and given they too were looking for a treble-winning season, there was plenty on the line for both sides. 

For much of the contest it proved a poor game, cagey as both sides were determined not to lose the match.  

But United left it late and snatched victory in the most dramatic of fashions with two injury-time goals from Teddy Sheringham and current United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer completing the turnaround. 

Bayern were dumbfounded while United were in raptures. Remains one of United's finest ever seasons in their 141-year history.  

Team Europe's final day fightback remains one of the best Ryder Cup performances in history. 

Europe trailed 10-6 heading into the final day's play which saw 12 singles matches. Team USA needed just 4.5 points for victory but soon suffered a monumental collapse on home soil. 

The visitors won eight of the 12 ties and drew another to win it. Ian Poulter, who was sublime throughout, picked up where he left off on the Saturday to make it 10-10 in the fourth tie. 

But the drama extended off the green as in the game before Poulter, team-mates were left panicking as to whether Rory McIlroy would make his allocated tee-time. The Northern Irishman needed an escort to make it with 10 minutes to spare. Had he missed it by five minutes, he would have been disqualified. 

The back and forth wins continued and it came down to Martin Kaymer on the 18th hole. He had two putts for victory and sealed it on the second attempt to beat Steve Stricker and the dramatic comeback was complete.  

It took something quite remarkable to beat Phil Taylor in the final of the PDC World Darts Championship back in 2007. 

Dutchman Raymond van Barneveld was the man tasked with taking on 'The Power' in the final in what was the last time the event was hosted at the Circus Tavern in Essex (it is now at Alexandra Palace). 

This was two of the games greats, polar opposites in how they carry themselves on and off the oche, slugging it out in front of a boozy bunch of fans.  

Van Barneveld produced one of the greatest comebacks in darts history to stun his rival, rallying back from 3-0 down in sets to win 7-6 after a sudden-death leg. 

It was Barneveld's fifth world title overall but remains far and away the most memorable. 

Defending champion Steve Davis walked into the Crucible as a heavy favourite back in April 1985. 

Facing a bespectacled opponent in Dennis Taylor, the 'black ball final', as it later became known, was set to be the latest win in Davis' esteemed career. 

Davis raced into an 7-0 set lead from the opening session, made it 8-0 at the start of the second before Taylor got a foothold winning the ninth after Davis missed a green. By the end of Saturday night, Taylor was down 9-7 but was firmly back in the contest. 

The exchanges continued back on the Sunday, 11-11, 12-12 and when it was 17-15 in Davis corner, the tournament sponsors were in the wings reportedly ready with his winners' check. But Taylor was not done. He forced Davis back to 17-17, forcing a deciding frame - the reason this final has gone down with legendary status. 

The final frame lasted 68 minutes and saw the match finish at 12.23am after Taylor sealed the most dramatic of wins with the final black ball after Davis got his angles wrong to win it on the previous shot. 

With a reported attendance of more than 114,000 inside the stadium in Mexico City to watch Diego Maradona and Co, it was safe to say the eyes of the footballing world were glued to the World Cup final in 1986. 

Maradona was the undoubted star of the tournament and the hype ahead of the final was in overdrive. His 'Hand of God' goal against England remains one of the most controversial of all-time and he had the impossible job of meeting lofty expectations in the final.  

It is fair to say this one proved something of a slow burner before exploding into life in the second half. Jose Luis Brown gave Argentina a first half lead but with four goals in the second half, the momentum continued to shift. 

Argentina's celebrations escalated 10 minutes into the second half when Jorge Valdano made it 2-0 - but West Germany's fightback was about to ignite.

Goals from Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Rudi Voller looked to have salvaged the final before Maradona's exquisite pass to Jorge Burruchaga sealed the trophy with six minutes to go.  

Source: Daily Mail

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