WE’RE NO FOOLS.
We know the Lions face an uphill task against the All Blacks that makes the UK’s Brexit negotiations seem like child’s play.
However, as our granny used to say, “if you don’t believe in yourself, I’m certainly not going to.” She was cruel like that.
But the Lions are not the first team to face a seemingly impossible task and succeed.
Indeed, they only have to look to February this year and perhaps the greatest sporting comeback of all time, if they are short of inspiration.
Here, in descending order, are the 10 most improbable sporting comebacks Warren Gatland can use in the team talk ahead of the second Test:
10. France 43-31 New Zealand – Rugby World Cup semi-final – 1999
If the Lions are seeking rugby inspiration they need look no further than this game. Jonah Lomu had almost single-handedly given tournament favourites New Zealand a 24-10 lead early in the second half.
Step forward Christophe Lamaison who slotted home two drop goals and two penalties in the space of eight minutes to bring the French within two points. France went on to seal the win with tries from Christophe Dominici, Richard Dourthe and Philippe Bernat-Salles.
9. Angola 4-4 Mali – Africa Cup of Nations – 2010
More a capitulation than a comeback, hosts Angola were four goals to the good with just over 10 minutes remaining in the opening game of the 2010 tournament and, even when Barcelona midfielder Keita bundled home in the 79th minute for Mali, it looked to be merely a consolation goal.
Freddy Kanoute’s 88th minute effort gave his side additional hope and two goals in injury time — from Keita and the unheralded Mustapha Yatabare – completed one of the most astonishing finales in football history.
8. Charlton Athletic 7-6 Huddersfield Town – English Second Division – 1957
When you are reduced to 10 men and go 5-1 down with less than 30 minutes remaining, you probably just want to limit the damage.
Nobody told Charlton for whom Johnny Summers scored five goals to make it 6-6 in injury time, before John Ryan fired home the winner with the last kick of the game.
7. Dennis Taylor 18-17 Steve Davis – World Snooker Championship Final – 1985
Going 8-0 down to the world number one of the past two years was far from the ideal start to the 1985 World Snooker Championship final for Dennis Taylor.
Undeterred, the Irishman won seven of the next eight frames to remain in contention overnight and, as you can see above, he then went on to win in the most dramatic fashion.
6. Manchester United 2-1 Bayern Munich – Champions League Final – 1999
“THAT night in Barcelona” as Clive Tyldesley would say during every Manchester United match for years afterwards.
1-0 down late on thanks to a Mario Basler free-kick, Alex Ferguson’s side appeared likely to fall just short in their bid to become the first English side to complete a league, FA Cup and European Cup treble. And then madness ensued in the last three minutes.
5. Europe 14.5-13.5 USA – Ryder Cup – 2012
The so-called Miracle at Medinah produced a comeback of epic proportions from a European team that had been dominated over the first two days of play as the hosts took what looked an unassailable 10-6 lead into the singles.
However, after Paddy Power created giant tweets in the sky, including the one above, José María Olazábal’s men won eight of the singles matches and drawing another to claim a seemingly impossible 14.5 to 13.5 win.
4. Liverpool 3-3 Milan (Liverpool win on penalties) – Champions League Final – 2005
Liverpool looked down and out in the 2005 Champions League final, going in 3-0 down at the break. But three goals in six minutes turned the game around and, after an anxious 30 minutes of extra-time, it was the Premier League club that held its nerve in the shootout to claim a fifth European Cup.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers 4-3 Golden State Warriors – NBA Finals – 2016
After setting a new record, one that may never be beaten, for regular season wins in 2016, the Golden State Warriors looked certain to become back-to-back NBA champions when they took a 3-1 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers in their best-of-seven NBA finals.
However, LeBron James and the Cavs made their own history when they became the first team to recover from 3-1 to win the NBA Championship.
2. Barcelona 6-5 PSG (on aggregate) – Champions League Round of 16 – 2017
After being walloped 4-0 in the first leg of their Champions League clash, Barcelona had next to no chance against PSG, especially after the Ligue 1 side scored a crucial away goal in the 62nd minute leaving the Catalans needing three goals.
They still needed that many in the 87th minute before Neymar (twice) and Sergi Roberto booked them an unlikely quarter-final spot.
1. New England Patriots 34-28 Atlanta Falcons – Super Bowl – 2017
Plenty of Irish NFL fans went to bed when the Atlanta Falcons took a 28-3 lead in this game. But Tom Brady cemented his status as the greatest quarterback of all time when he helped his side score 31 unanswered points — including a pair of two-point conversions — to see his team complete, perhaps, the greatest comeback of them all.
All this talk of comebacks has us believing, and we think the Lions will nab at least one Test win so we’re backing them at 5/1 for the victory.
Whether you agree or disagree, Ireland’s biggest bookmaker Paddy Power have the odds on every market. Check out our Lions odds here, or simply download the Paddy Power app for iOS or Android.
For more tips, insight and the odd star columnist, head over to the Paddy Power blog.
