Best Performance You've Ever Seen?

Dillonb3

Zidane against Brazil in 2006 world cup was one of my all time favorite performances from a player.

France were absolute dung in the group stages and just about made it out of their group and then Zidane just switched on the knockout phases helping France make the final

Alf Veedersane

Jimbob1977 wrote: »

1994 European Cup Final - red hot Barcelona were soundly thrashed 4-0 by a superb AC Milan side.

That was exactly the one I would have posted.

'Superb' somehow feels understated for that performance.

Weepsie

Thought I had replied earlier.


Individual Paul McGrath v Italy in 1994, one of the outstanding defensive performances. Dunne v Russia was the closest thing in an Irish jersey since, but it wasn't against nearly as good an opposition or nearly as big a match.

Keane v Juve 1999
Ronaldo Destroying man utd in 2003?


As for team, AC Milan v Liverpool in 2005. The first half was one of the most perfect displays of football.

It is remarkable Liverpool won it, and unforgettable for fans, but watching it back a while ago it's head scratching how Milan didn't score another few goals. That's the beauty of cup football though, you don't actually need to be the better team to win. (I'm not taking a swipe) sometimes it's just how it goes.

Had they won, I think they'd be down as one of the great club sides, Dida was the weakest link in the team, but everywhere else they were near perfect.


France dismantling Brazil in 1998 was pretty convincing too.

Ireland's performance v France (in the Henry handball game) was near the best I've seen them play on 20+ years. They were brilliant that day but just couldn't score and made the cautious approach up to that day all the more mysterious.

Did you smash it

Weepsie wrote: »

Ireland's performance v France (in the Henry handball game) was near the best I've seen them play on 20+ years. They were brilliant that day but just couldn't score and made the cautious approach up to that day all the more mysterious.

France weren’t any good as shown by the World Cup that followed.

Weepsie

Did you smash it wrote: »

France weren’t any good as shown by the World Cup that followed.

France were dreadful yes, a truly terribley managed team. Domenech would have been out of a job in 2006 but for Zidane to be honest. He was a terrible manager and had underachieved with Frances super talented u21s for years too.

But they had a team with lot of talented players still, and they were at home and they still had players with world cup final experience (including 1 winner) and European cup final experience and a host of other accolades.

Plasandrunt

From a Liverpool perspective it was a 5-1 away win against Newcastle in 2008. Still to this day Shay Given put in the best goalkeeping performance I've ever seen and he still let in 5 goals.

Followed closely by the 4-0's against Madrid in 09 and Leicester last season.

The Golden Miller

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

Most of the ones I was thinking of have been said but going to give a mention to Mourinho's Inter knocking out Pep's Barcelona in 2010. Despite the fact they lost 1-0 on the night, they went through on aggregate against probably the best club team I've ever seen, and beat them through smarts and guts.

Monaco Porto 04 final was another Mourinho masterclass. People look back and say it was a poor final with two week enough teams, but context gets lost with time. That Monaco team scored the most goals ever in a Champions League campaign, think only Barca surpassed their tally around 2011 or 12. They battered Madrid and Chelsea both into submission. Think Chelsea even got a couple of early goals v Monaco in their second leg, but for the rest of the match had to withstand wave after wave of attack until they relented

Mourinho did brilliant to find a way to beat them

rob316

Feb 2014 Arsenal arrive to Anfield top of the league, they were 4 nil down after 20 mins. I've never seen a team so fast out the traps and just blow a team away. Suarez didn't even score that day

hunter164

Richie Dunne Vs Russia in Moscow for the Euro Qualifiers. What a performance.

thebaz

Back when I was really fanatical about the Irish team - against Italy at '94 WC.

and probably best of all v Russia at Euro 88, and played so well against Holland - both games conceded late - but at stages i thought we would win Euros.

also played excellent against Spain at WC '02, again a painful loss, if only Keane had been ther

chopperbyrne

Plasandrunt wrote: »

From a Liverpool perspective it was a 5-1 away win against Newcastle in 2008. Still to this day Shay Given put in the best goalkeeping performance I've ever seen and he still let in 5 goals.

Was a weird one. Gerrard gave him the MotM award, and you could see Given was embarrassed to be accepting it after letting in five.

Anyone mention Beckham vs Greece yet?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUBk0J9ijjU

Beasty

There are 2 standout United matches that I've attended over the past 40+ years. For some reason (perhaps because we were not winning the league) they are the ones that always spring to mind

United 3-0 Barcelona in the 1984 CWC QF 2nd leg, with Bryan Robson lifting the team to a 3-2 aggregate victory, outshining the best player in the World at that time, Diego Maradona

United v Liverpool in the 1985 FAC Semi Final replay at Maine Road. We had a real chance in the first match at Goodison and thought we had blown it when Liverpool equalised late on. However the atmosphere at Maine Road was electric. United were 1-0 down at half time, but Robson again took the game by the scruff of the neck, bursting through from the half way line to unleash a spectacular shot from 25 yards - I reckon that was his best ever goal for United. Then Mark Hughes scored to take us back to Wembley

There have been bigger matches (including two Champions League and one CWC final victories, along with numerous FA Cup finals), but in terms of overall performances these two matches stick in my memory

One that always stands out in my mind is Jay-Jay Okocha against Arsenal at Highbury in 2004.

I was at the game and he tormented Arsenal in, and out of, possession. For Bolton's first he won the ball off Ashley Cole in the corner, dropped the shoulder, and won the corner.

There's not too many times I've seen Vieira troubled but Okocha was all over him that day.

He 'only' ended up with an assist from the corner but his all round play was brilliant.

doc_17

Milan 4 Barcelona 0 in 1994 CL final. They were so good.

The_Kew_Tour

Duff v Germany and Spain in 2002

Dave Barry v Munich in 1991.