As 2026 approaches, sports events around the world are about to enter their climax. Before that, let's first review the ten most exciting and crucial matches selected by Camel Live in 2025:
1. Champions League Final: Paris Saint-Germain 5-0 Inter Milan
Before the final, Inter Milan's tenacious late equalizer against Barcelona in the second leg of the semi-finals to force extra time shocked European football, making this match widely anticipated as an iconic defensive and offensive battle. However, rumors emerged shortly before the game that Inter coach Simone Inzaghi was set to take charge of Al Hilal, adding another layer of emotion to the encounter.
But once the match kicked off, fans realized the situation was far from what they expected. The first 20 minutes were a masterclass in attacking from Paris. Wonderkid Désiré Doué first assisted Achraf Hakimi to open the scoring in the 12th minute, then scored a goal himself on the counter-attack, becoming an overnight sensation. Paris scored three more goals in the second half, sealing a 5-0 victory and lifting their first Champions League trophy in club history.
A notable tactical duel was that almost all of Paris' goals were scored at the near post. Perhaps this pre-match arrangement by Luis Enrique exposed the height disadvantage of Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer, making his saves significantly more difficult.
2. Club World Cup Final: Chelsea 3-0 Paris Saint-Germain
This match was also regarded as a lopsided contest before kick-off. Chelsea had not faced any top-five European league teams in previous games, while Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain had eliminated Bayern Munich and Real Madrid to reach the final.
At the start of the game, Paris was clearly the side closer to scoring but failed to convert their chances. In the 22nd minute, Chelsea launched a long ball from the back to the onrushing Gusto, who held off the challenging Nuno Mendes, cut into the penalty area, and squared the ball to Cole Palmer, who curled it into the net to open the scoring. Chelsea continued to look for counter-attacking opportunities, with Palmer and Pedro scoring two more goals to kill off the game.
After the final whistle, a confrontation broke out between players of both teams. Paris coach Luis Enrique was sent off with a red card for violent conduct.
3. Champions League Semi-Final Second Leg: Inter Milan 4-3 Barcelona
In the first leg, Inter Milan had fought back to draw 3-3 away to Barcelona. Returning to their home ground, Inter took a 2-0 lead in the first half thanks to a goal from Lautaro Martínez in the 21st minute and a penalty he won in the 44th minute.
But the game turned on its head immediately after the break. First, Eric García volleyed shot from the edge of the box following a cross in the 54th minute. Six minutes later, Olmo headed shot a diagonal pass from Gerard Martín to level the scores.
Just as everyone thought the game was heading to extra time, Raphinha suddenly scored the go-ahead goal in the 87th minute after receiving a pass from Pedri. But Inter players refused to give up. In the final two minutes of regular time, center-back Francesco Acerbi unexpectedly appeared in the box, met Denzel Dumfries' cross, and headed home to equalize under pressure from Ronald Araújo. In extra time, substitute Samuele Frattesi scored another goal, sending Inter Milan into the Champions League final.
4.UEFA Nations League Final: Portugal 2-2 Spain (Penalties 5-3)
Portugal had won the first Nations League title. In this tournament, they first eliminated Denmark and Germany, while European champions Spain reached the final by beating the Netherlands and France. Despite Cristiano Ronaldo leading Portugal to a strong run, most people still considered Spain an unbeatable team in Europe.
In the 21st minute, Martin Zubimendi volleyed shot from a goalmouth scramble to give Spain the lead.And then, Nuno Mendes cut inside from the left, drove into the box, and shot into the far corner to level the scores for Portugal. Before halftime, Mikel Oyarzabal volleyed shot to put Spain ahead again.
In a tense stalemate, Cristiano Ronaldo headed home a cross from Nuno Mendes to equalize in the 60th minute. No further goals were scored, sending the game to a penalty shootout. In the fourth round of penalties, Álvaro Morata's spot-kick was saved by Diogo Costa, making him the only player to miss in the shootout. Portugal eventually won their second Nations League title.
5. Europa League Final: Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Manchester United
This Europa League final was a unique one, featuring 17th-placed Tottenham Hotspur against 16th-placed Manchester United in the Premier League. The winner would qualify for the Champions League, a crucial outcome for both teams' future finances and transfer plans.
In the 42nd minute, a cross from the left by Tottenham hit Luke Shaw, and Brennan Johnson reacted quickest to pounce on the rebound and score, giving Tottenham the lead. Despite dominating possession for most of the remaining time, Manchester United failed to convert their chances. After Guglielmo Vicario saved Luke Shaw's header, Tottenham successfully ended their trophy drought by winning this season's Europa League title.
This game also marked Son Heung-min's last official match for Tottenham as captain. After the game, Alejandro Garnacho's rant against Rúben Amorim in an interview led to his departure from Manchester United in the summer transfer window.
6. Copa del Rey Final: Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid (AET)
Before the game, Real Madrid TV suddenly released a video criticizing the referee's previous decisions against Real Madrid. The referee then teared up during the pre-match press conference, after which Real Madrid issued two more official statements in response to the referee, elevating the match to an unwarranted level of tension.
In the first half, Barcelona took the lead through Pedri's long-range shot. But in the 70th minute of the second half, Real Madrid overturned the score with set-piece goals from Kylian Mbappé and Aurélien Tchouameni. However, Barcelona, who had dominated the game, quickly equalized when Ferran Torres rounded the goalkeeper and slotted into an empty net.
In the final four minutes of extra time, Luka Modrić made a mistake with a forward pass from the back. Jules Koundé intercepted the ball and fired a long-range shot into the net for the winner. In the final moments of the game, the referee was confronted by several Real Madrid players from the bench who rushed onto the pitch to protest a decision. Jude Bellingham, Lucas Vázquez, and Antonio Rüdiger were shown red cards for their involvement. After being sent off, Rüdiger threw an ice pack onto the pitch to express his anger.
Barcelona eventually beat Real Madrid in extra time to win the Copa del Rey.
7. Champions League Quarter-Final First Leg: Arsenal 3-0 Real Madrid
Arsenal had not reached the Champions League semi-finals for many years. Being drawn against defending champions Real Madrid in the quarter-finals further raised concerns about Arsenal's Champions League prospects this year.
As most people expected, the game was anticipated to be a cautious affair from both sides. But after the 58th minute, everything changed. Declan Rice curled a precise banana shot from long range that bypassed the goalkeeper. Twelve minutes later, he repeated the feat with a powerful free-kick from an even further distance. These two free-kick goals gave Arsenal a 2-0 lead at home. Martin Merino then added a third goal with a volley from the edge of the box, as Arsenal secured a 3-0 victory in the first leg.
8. Club World Cup Round of 16: Manchester City 3-4 Al Hilal
In the past few years, the Saudi Pro League has spent heavily to sign numerous European stars, including Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo even claimed that the Saudi Pro League has become the fifth-best league in the world, but most fans were skeptical about the competitiveness of Saudi and even Asian teams.
The match between Al Hilal and Manchester City became a showdown between the best of Asian and European football. In the 9th minute, Bernardo Silva scored from a rebound in a goalmouth scramble, giving Manchester City a 1-0 lead at halftime. Early in the second half, Al Hilal turned the game around with goals from Leonardo in the 46th minute and Malcom in the 52nd minute. Less than a minute later, Erling Haaland equalized with a rebound from a corner, sending the game to extra time.
In the first half of extra time, Kalidou Koulibaly of Al Hilal and Phil Foden of Manchester City scored in quick succession. Just as the game was set to go to penalties, Leonardo scored again with a close-range rebound to put Al Hilal ahead. Al Hilal eliminated Manchester City, with the Saudi Pro League shocking world football for the first time.
9. Copa Libertadores Final: Flamengo 1-0 Palmeiras
As long-standing rivals in the Brazilian Serie A, Flamengo and Palmeiras' meeting in the Copa Libertadores final, South America's top club honor, was destined to be another classic encounter.
Both teams had chances in the first half, but the score remained level. It was not until the 67th minute that veteran Danilo rose high to head home a corner, a goal that gave Flamengo the lead until the final whistle.
Notably, Italian midfielder Jorginho became the first player to win the European Championship, Champions League, and Copa Libertadores after this game. Coach Filipe Luís also set a record as the fastest person to win the Copa Libertadores as a coach after retiring as a player.
10. FA Cup Final: Crystal Palace 1-0 Manchester City
Manchester City's performance in the 24/25 season was very inconsistent. They had long been out of contention for the Champions League and Premier League titles, making the FA Cup final their only chance to win a trophy this season. Crystal Palace had reached the FA Cup final in 2016 but lost to Manchester United, so this game was a precious opportunity for them.
In the 16th minute, Crystal Palace launched a quick counter-attack. Daniel Muñoz crossed from the byline, and Eberechi Eze volleyed home to give Crystal Palace the lead. The turning point came in the 36th minute when Manchester City were awarded a penalty. Their top penalty taker Erling Haaland surprisingly gave the spot-kick to Omar Marmoush, whose penalty was saved by Dean Henderson.Missing this penalty meant Manchester City lost the final at Wembley. Crystal Palace won their first FA Cup title in club history, while Manchester City endured a trophyless season.
