Missing your favourite league? Rewatch these magnificent, exhilarating, and electrifying matches that made their mark as we wait for sporting events to return

The world went on literal pause after almost all countries were hit by the pandemic. Mass transportation put to a halt, schools and offices closed, mass gatherings cancelled, sporting events postponed — from major leagues such as NBA, UEFA, Premier League, Wimbledon, French Open, and even Olympics to local tourneys such as PBA and collegiate games.

As we miss the thrill and excitement that these matches bring, why not rewatch some of the greatest games from different sporting events?

1. Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier ( WBC/WBA Heavyweight Champion, 1971)

This game went down the history as one of the greatest boxing matches ever, if not the best. Popularly known as the "Fight of the Century", Mohammad Ali and Joe Frazier, went on to a 15-round bout, both with no previous loss.

Ali started smoking hot, throwing jabs at Frazier and then smartly moving from Frazier's reach. The same dance would go on for two rounds, until Frazier lands one of his own straight to Ali's face. The two would continue in a sluggish fight, one connecting punch after another, and series of taunting and trash talks in between.

What ultimately changed the tempo of the match, and tipped the scores to a unanimous vote in favour of Frazier, was his successful left hook that landed on Ali's jaw that left the boxer winded for a moment. Frazier continued to hound Ali until the bell rang.

Three more rounds followed, with both boxers evidently worn out. At the final round, everyone was up on their feet, cheering both Frazier and Ali who put up a great show.

The two met again, in 1974 and 1975 (Thrilla in Manila), both won by Mohammad Ali.

2. Chicago Bulls vs Utah Jazz (NBA Finals, 1998)

Utah Jazz fans may still remember this game as one of their biggest heartbreaks. With three minutes left to the match, Jazz was up 81-79 against the then Michael Jordan-led team Chicago Bulls. After a three-point miss from Jordan and a controversial offensive foul against Rodman, Jazz capitalises and further extends the lead to 83-79.

Jordan answers back with four points of his own after two successful trips to the free throw line. Just when Chicago finally evened the scoreboard to 83-83, Jazz point guard John Stockton makes the cold-blooded three with only 42 seconds remaining in the game. 

Straight from the time-out Jordan makes the difficult lay-up to bring them closer within one. Bulls was able to force a defensive stop, and with only 8 seconds remaining, Jordan makes his move and sinks the pull-up jumper to take away the game and the championship.

 

3. Liverpool vs. AC Milan (UEFA Champions League Final, 2005)

Milan started the match red-hot with a goal just within the first minute of the game, courtesy of Milan captain Paolo Maldini. Liverpool had a few attempts of their own, but to no avail. At the 39th minute, Milan capitalised from a non-call penalty kick, and launched a counterattack. Hernán Crespo gave Milan its second goal off of Andriy Shevchenko's beautiful pass in the box. Crespo would soon score a goal again just before half time.

Now down 0-3, Liverpool was in big trouble. At the 51st minute, Milan almost scored again from a free kick just right outside the box, but was miraculously saved by Liverpool's keeper. At the 54th minute, Liverpool finally scored a goal through Steven Gerrard's header. This was soon followed by another goal courtesy of Vladimír Šmicer. And at the 60th minute, Xabi Alonso tied the game, 3-3.

By the end of regulation time and extra time, both teams remained tied which resulted to a shootout which was then dramatically won by Liverpool, 3-2. 

You can watch the full game here.

4. Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer (Wimbledon Finals, 2008)

It's a rare sight to see the calm, cheerful, and composed Roger Federer get frustrated in a match, but this particular one brought out a Federer that no one had seen before. Plagued with errors and even service faults, the then top seeded tennis player found himself down two sets to none.

At the third set, Nadal and Federer fought to break a thrilling tie of 6-6. And right on time, Federer clawed his way back to extend the match to one set to two.

At the fourth set, both players were tied once more, with Nadal pulling away early on, 5-2. But Federer wasn't done just yet. He rallied four points to overcome the lead at 6-5. In a magnificent display of talent, Nadal and Federer exchanged points that had the crowd at the edge of their seats. And as if the set was not going to end, Federer won the tie, 10-8.

The last set went on same as the previous sets — a tie that simply won't end. But after much back and forth, Nadal took home the Grand Slam, 3-2. 

 

5. Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal (Australian Open Finals, 2012)

These two greats had been head-to-head in so many occasions (55 to be exact), more often than not, in the finals of an ATP match or a Grand Slam tourney. Emotions always ran high, as both are very familiar with each other's game and are equally motivated to get ahead of the other. Out of their many, many battles, one that stood out the most is when they faced each other in the Finals match of 2012 Australian Open. 

Most tennis matches last for about 2 to 3 hours to finish, but this match between Djokovic and Nadal lasted for almost 6 hours. In the set, Nadal proved to have more energy and placed with such athleticism, effortlessly returning that of Djokovic's well-placed hits (it should also be noted that Djokovic just came from a five-hour semifinal match against Andy Murray two days before). At break point, Djokovic fails to score a point, giving the advantage to Nadal. What went soon after was almost symbolic, with Djokovic changing his shirt — from white to black, and returning to the court with a fresher attitude and much more motivation.

Four hours into the match and a blazing Djokovic after, Nadal managed to escape a three sets to one loss and fought back to even the scoreboard at 2-2. What followed was a display of skill and craftsmanship from the world no. 1 and no. 2, that resulted to unbelievable rallies. 

But only one can emerge victorious, with Novak Djokovic taking the win three sets to two.