20 Most Exciting Football Moments of 2012 so Far

World Football has given supporters no shortage of exciting moments in the 2012 calendar year.

From title races and trophy quests to miraculous comebacks and stunning upsets, this has been an action-packed season.

All over the world, the beautiful game has provided riveting entertainment. This list will count down the most captivating moments that have occurred so far in 2012. 

Both quality of the performance, as well as the importance of the moment are deciding factors in the order of events in the list.

Here are the top 20 events in football this year.

20. 3-3 Tie Knocks U.S. out of the Olympics

Competition: Olympic Qualifier

Location: Nashville, Tennessee

Date: March 26, 2012

The United States U23 team had qualified in four out of the last five Olympic tournaments but was eliminated during the qualifying stages after a fortunate strike from El Salvador's Jaime Alas.

The long-range scoring effort came in the 94th minute and made for a memorable upset, but no youth squad is going to out-rank the senior teams on this list.

19. Milito vs. Miccoli in the Snow

Competition: Serie A

Location: Milan, Italy

Date: February 1, 2012

Inter Milan's Diego Milito scored four goals and Palermo's Frabrizio Miccoli put in three during a thrilling 4-4 draw. Miccoli's third goal came with just five minutes remaining in the match.

It was a dramatic finish to goal-fest of a game, but the higher spots on this list will be reserved for games that had more on the line.

18. Wigan Takes on the English Giants

Competition: English Premier League

Location: Multiple

Date: Multiple

Sitting second from the bottom in the Premiership, Wigan Athletic went on tear and won five out of seven games to stay up in England's top league. Along the way, they defeated Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal.

Wigan's run was inspiring enough, but playing for trophies is always more exciting that fighting to avoid relegation, and the contenders take precedent over the bottom-dwellers in this ranking.

17. Barça Preserves Lead in Copa Del Rey

Competition: Copa Del Rey

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Date: January 23, 2012

After defeating their arch-rival 2-1 in the first matchup, Barcelona jumped out to a commanding 2-0 lead in the second leg of the Copa Del Rey quarterfinals against Real Madrid. Madrid came storming back, tied the game at 2-2, and threatened to stage an incredible comeback.

The game ended in a draw, but it had all the usual excitement of a Classico. However, another meeting between these two football giants will take one of the higher spots in the rankings.

16. PSG Draws Even with Montpellier

Competition: Ligue 1

Location: Paris, France

Date: February 19, 2012

Paris Saint-Germain and Montpellier, French football's two best teams, met in a Ligue 1 showdown as the two geared up for the final stages of the title run. Montpellier looked ready to take over the top spot from PSG with a late strike in the 81st minute, but the Parisians showed a flair for the dramatic with an equalizer in the 88th. 

This match definitely had the fans out of their seats, but the French league is not Europe's biggest draw, and the higher spots are reserved for teams that garnered more attention.

15. Chelsea Storms Back in Second Leg Against Napoli

Competition: Champions League

Location: London, England

Date: March 14, 2012

Chelsea took a 3-1 loss to Napoli in the first leg of their Round of 16 matchup, after Evequiel Lavezzi and Edinson Cavani torched their defense. However, the Blues fought back and forced overtime with a 3-1 victory in regulation, and Branislav Ivanovic's strike in extra time pushed them through.

Dramatic moments are always amplified in the Champions League, but this would not be Chelsea's only heart-pounding finish in the tournament.

14. Llorente's Late Strike Puts Bilbao in the Final

Competition: Europa League

Location: Bilbao, Spain

Date: April 26, 2012

After the Sporting Lisbon beat Athletica Bilbao 2-1 in the first leg of the Europa League semifnals, extra time seemed a certainty, as Bilbao led the Portuguese side by the same score with time rapidly winding down. But in the 88th minute, Fernando Llorente stretched out and tapped in a goal to put his club in the competition's finals for the first time in 35 years.

This match was captivating all the way through, but Europe's second-tier tournament just cannot match the excitement of the Champions League, and this game has to stay in the bottom quarter of the list.

13. Everton Refuses to Quit Against United

Competition: English Premier League

Location: Manchester, England

Date: April 22, 2012

Everton faced deficits of 3-1 and 4-2 in its most recent match with Manchester United, and put two goals away in the last seven minutes to complete one of the most surprising scorelines of the season.

The late charge from the Merseyside club proved to be crucial in the title race, and was yet another fine performance by Everton against United. It was a thrilling comeback but not crucial enough of a game to be in the top-10.

12. United Ties Chelsea Late

Competition: English Premier League

Location: London, England

Date: February 5, 2012

There is no love lost between Manchester United and Chelsea, and the Blues looked set for a satisfying result when they took a 3-0 lead 50 minutes in. Then United woke up and earned two penalties on their way to salvaging a point.

It would seem that a dramatic comeback featuring two of England's giants would rank a bit higher, but this game had no serious championship implications to add to it and will stay in the bottom half of the countdown.

11. Dortmund and Stutgart in a Thrilling 4-4 Standoff

Competition: Bundesliga

Location: Dortmund, Germany

Date: March 30, 2012

Borussia Dortmund's Ivan Perisic seemed to have given his team a game-winning goal in the 87th minute, but Suttgart's Christian Gentner scored the match's eighth goal in the 90th minute to complete a 4-4 draw.

This high-flying affair packed in plenty of highlights for the fans, especially for a mid-season Bundesliga matchup. In the end, however, a run-of-the-mill league match will have to take a backseat to games where trophies are on the line.

10. Madrid Takes Comfortable Lead over Barça in La Liga

Competition: La Liga

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Date: April 21, 2012

Football fans had become used to Bracelona's Lionel Messi scoring goals against rival Real Madrid, but this time it was Galactico Cristiano Ronaldo who put away the game-winner. His strike in the 73rd minute gave Madrid a 2-1 victory and put them seven points up on Barça.

This was the most meaningful Classico of the season and signaled an end to Barça's reign over La Liga, which is good enough to crack the top 10—even if the game itself was not exceptionally exciting.

9. Inter Comes Back to Sink AC

Competition: Serie A

Location: Milan, Italy

Date: May 6, 2012

AC Milan had to get a win in their derby with Inter in order to stay in the title race. They looked to be in good shape when Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his second goal just 30 seconds after halftime, but two penalty kicks and a goal from Maicon gave Inter a 4-2 win and killed any hope Milan had at winning a title.

This game had so much riding on it, and Inter staged a memorable comeback. If two of their goals had come from natural play and not the penalty spot, this game might have been a bit more exciting and ranked higher on the list.

8. Dortmund All but Wraps Up Bundesliga Against Bayern

Competition: Bundesliga

Location: Dortmund, Germany

Date: April 11, 2012

Borussia Dortmund's defense, led by Neven Subotic and Mats Hummels, shut out Bayern Munich's attack in a 1-0 victory over the Champions League finalists. The win put Dortmund six points clear of Bayern and kept them in excellent position to defend their title.

Dortmund's hard-fought triumph against their closest competitor was exciting and meaningful. The decisive victory is worthy of a place in the top 10.

7. Messi Sets Champions League Record with Five Goals

Competition: La Liga

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Date: March 7, 2012

Lionel Messi has had an historic season, and his best single-game performance came when he set a Champions League record with five goals against Bayern Leverkusen.

Messi's brilliance has been breath-taking at many points this season, but this effort was particularly astounding. To score five goals in a game is an incredible accomplishment, but to do it in the knockout stage of the Champions League is truly remarkable. 

6. Messi Scores Hat Trick to Set European Record

Competition: La Liga

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Date: May 2, 2012

Going into Barcelona's match with Málaga, Lionel Messi was two goals shy of Gerd Muller's European record of 67 goals in a season. The Little Genius buried two penalties and fired a low shot with pin-point accuracy to surpass the mark Muller set 39 years ago.

Messi's 68th goal was the culmination of the season in which he entered himself into the argument for "greatest footballer ever." With record's like that on his resumé, the Argentine is starting to make a very strong case for himself.

5. Chelsea Hold Back Barça with 10 Men

Competition: Champions League

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Date: April 24, 2012

Holding back Barcelona's offense is a near-impossible task that became extremely difficult for Chelsea when they lost both their center defenders in the first 37 minutes. In the Champions League semifinal, Gary Cahill pulled his hamstring and John Terry's dirty tactics earned him a red card.

Barça grabbed a 2-0 lead just before half, but Ramires' chip put Chelsea ahead on away goals in the two-leg format. the second half, the 10 men remaining for the Blues put forth a courageous effort to keep the defending champs out of the goal, and they earned a trip to Munich for the final.

The odds were not with Chelsea once Terry and Cahill went out, but grit and teamwork pushed the team to a great result in the biggest game of the season.

4. City Catches United with 1-0 Victory

Competition: English Premier League

Location: Manchester (Etihad), England

Date: April 30, 2012

Manchester United's once-comfortable lead atop the Premiership had dwindled to just three points when it ran into crosstown rival Manchester City. The Blues roughed up United on their way to a 1-0 victory behind Vincent Kompany's header off a corner kick.

The result put the two teams tied on points, but City had a far better goal differential, and the Premiership crown seems likely to change hands this year. If City wins their first championship since 1968, this game will be looked at as the decisive point in their title run.

3. Apoel's Cinderella Story Continues Against Lyon

Competition: Champions League

Location: Nicosia, Cyprus

Date: March 7, 2012

Apoel Nicosia shocked the football world when they emerged from the group stage, but this Cinderella team refused to leave the ball at midnight. In the first knockout round against Lyon, the Cyprus-based team forced overtime after winning the second leg 1-0, and went on to win 4-3 on penalties.

Apoel would go on to lose to Real Madrid, but not before staging one of the most improbably runs in Champions League history. Their quarterfinal appearance is a remarkable accomplishment for such a small club.

2. Bayern Takes out Madrid in Penalties

Competition: Champions League

Location: Madrid, Spain

Date: April 25, 2012

After a back-and-forth battle in regulation and overtime, the semifinal matchup between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid headed to penalty kicks. Madrid's Iker Casillas did his part and blocked two of Bayern's shots, but the kick-takers were terrible, low-lighted by Sergio Ramos' kick that sailed way over the cross bar.

It was a harsh end to a successful European campaign for Madrid, but the Galacticos have no one to blame but themselves. Their collapse made for incredible drama and an extremely exciting semifinal.

1. Petr Cech's Miracle Save in the FA Cup Final

Competition: FA Cup

Location: London, England

Date: May 5, 2012

There were many exciting moments across the world football landscape in 2012, but the hearts of the supporters were never beating faster than during the FA Cup final between Liverpool and Chelsea.

The Londoners took a 2-0 lead early in the second half, but Andy Carroll put the Reds back into the game. Carroll seemed to have his second goal of the game to tie up the match, but Petr Cech reached out his arm to make one of game's all-time great saves to preserve Chelsea's trophy.

With so much at stake for Liverpool, the tensions were running high throughout this match. The Merseyside club to came so close to forcing extra time, just to have it all pulled away by one freakishly good stop by Cech.

The magnitude of the moment in combination with the quality of the block makes this highlight the pinacle of excitement so far in 2012.