Top 10 Moments from World Football in January 2015

From Stamford Bridge to the muddy pitches of France and everywhere in between, the first month of 2015 handed football fans a ton of unexpected memorable moments.

Most of the shocking events from January came from cup competitions, as minnows in England and France created their own cup memories with historic victories. 

Also included in the top 10 moments from January are a tribute to a fallen teammate, the return of a club legend and an eventful penalty shootout. 

Here's a look at the 10 best world football moments from January 2015. 

10. Stars Earn Suspensions for Physical Acts

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Two of the ugliest moments of January came to us from two of the game's stars.

While they may not be memorable moments to some, the red cards and suspensions earned by Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Costa stole plenty of headlines. 

Ronaldo earned a red card and a two-game suspension for a kick to the leg of Cordoba's Edimar in Real Madrid's 2-1 win on January 24. With Ronaldo out of the lineup, Karim Benzema was able to star in the 4-1 victory against Real Sociedad, as the Frenchman netted a brace in the league win. 

But two games off before a crucial clash with Atletico Madrid might affect Ronaldo's form, and he may be a bit rusty. 

Over in England, Chelsea forward Diego Costa was not sent off, but he was suspended for a stamp on Emre Can's foot during the Capital One Cup semifinal against Liverpool. The first of three matches Costa missed was the 1-1 draw with Manchester City, which may have seen a different result if the forward was available to start. 

Hopefully, these violent acts during the first month of 2015 are the lowest points of the year for these two star players. 

9. Fernando Torres Wastes No Time in Copa Del Rey

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Fernando Torres returned to Atletico Madrid with a bang by scoring three goals in the Copa del Rey against Real Madrid and Barcelona. 

The Spanish forward also achieved a rare feat with each of his three strikes, as they all came in the first minute of a half. 

Torres scored in the first and 46th minutes during Atleti's second-leg draw with Real Madrid in the round of 16, which allowed them to advance to the quarterfinals on aggregate. 

In the second leg against Barcelona, Torres found the back of the net in the first minute of a wild half at the Vicente Calderon Stadium. 

By scoring three goals in big games in a short amount of time, Torres proved to us all that he can still be a factor up top for a major club. 

8. The Crystal Palace Comeback Kids

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In three of Alan Pardew's first four matches as Crystal Palace manager, the Eagles came from behind to pull off miraculous wins. 

It all started with the 2-1 win over Tottenham on January 10, when Dwight Gayle and Jason Puncheon scored second-half goals to beat Spurs at Selhurst Park. 

The fight of the club was shown a week later at Turf Moor, when the Eagles scored three goals after going down by two against Burnley. 

Gayle started and finished the come-from-behind victory by scoring in the 28th and 87th minutes, while Puncheon netted an equalizer in the 48th minute. 

Another wild victory was earned by Palace at St. Mary's Stadium in the FA Cup fourth round, as they scored two equalizers and a winner to earn a spot in the fifth round. In that match, Marouane Chamakh and Yaya Sanogo leveled the match before Chamakh won it all in the 38th minute. 

Thanks to the heroics of the four players, Palace sit in 13th place in the English Premier League and are still alive in a wild FA Cup. 

7. Branislav Ivanovic's Extra-Time Winner

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Branislav Ivanovic clinched Chelsea's spot in the Capital One Cup final with a header in the 94th minute that beat Liverpool 'keeper Simon Mignolet. 

The goal from the Chelsea defender handed the London side a 2-1 lead on aggregate, which held up over the next 26 minutes of extra time. 

In a night full of exciting attacking action, Ivanovic's strike was scored thanks to a defensive mishap by the Liverpool defense. The right-back was able to nod in his shot after two Liverpool players failed to mark him correctly. 

Ivanovic's game-winner was also a welcome sight to Chelsea fans, who three days before experienced a rare heartbreaking loss in the FA Cup. 

6. Saido Berahino's Quartet of Goals

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Saido Berahino caught everyone's attention during the second day of the FA Cup third round by putting four goals past fifth-division side Gateshead at The Hawthorns. 

The 21-year-old opened the scoring after 42 minutes of silence in the Midlands, and by the time time his fourth goal found the back of the net, West Bromwich Albion were celebrating a 7-0 victory. 

Berahino netted strikes in the 42nd, 46th, 53rd and 92nd minutes in the biggest win of this year's edition of the tournament.

While some may mock Berahino's placement on this list because of his opposition, he still scored four goals in a storied competition. There is no doubt this will be a memorable moment in the eyes of the player and the West Brom supporters for years to come. 

5. French Minnows Take over Coupe De France

All sorts of chaos broke out in the Coupe de France round of 32, as nine clubs from the lower divisions advanced to the next round. 

The highest amount of drama came from the Stade Amable Lozai in Quevilly, where fourth-division side US Quevilly defeated Ligue 1's Bastia in a dramatic penalty shootout. Before they won 3-1 on penalties, Quevilly equalized in the 115th minute through Adama Sarr. 

Three other teams from the fourth division made it out of the round of 32, but none of them took down Ligue 1 opposition like Quevilly. 

On top of that, three teams from the third division qualified during the wacky weekend of cup action across France. 

In the upcoming round of 16, only three clubs from the lower leagues will face a top-flight opponent. Two of those matches will see smaller sides host a Ligue 1 team. AS Yzeure of the fourth division will host Guingamp, while Red Star FC of the third division will welcome Saint-Etienne. Metz will play host to Ligue 2's Stade Brestois in the other clash. 

Above is a video from the French federation with clips from all of the round of 32 matches. 

4. Adrian Finishes off Thrilling Penalty Shootout

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After 210 minutes of play in the FA Cup third round, West Ham United and Everton were locked in a 2-2 tie on aggregate. 

By the time the 10th round of penalties came around, the two English Premier League clubs still had not found a winner. 

Everton sent 'keeper Joel Robles up to the spot to start the round, but he hit the bottom part of the crossbar with his attempt. 

Seconds after seeing his fellow shotstopper get denied by the post, West Ham 'keeper Adrian stepped up to the spot and displayed the confidence of a forward. 

After removing his gloves in the run-up to the spot, Adrian powered home the winning penalty and clinched a spot in the fourth round. 

West Ham went on to defeat Bristol City in the fourth round, and they are set for a clash with West Brom in the fifth round. 

3. Cambridge United Hold Manchester United at Home

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Few scoreless draws will be celebrated like the one Cambridge United earned against Manchester United in the FA Cup fourth round. 

The U's went into the match at the Abbey Stadium as heavy underdogs, but they held for a draw to earn a replay at Old Trafford on February 3.

While advancing to the next round right away would have been ideal for most clubs, the U's took plenty of pride in earning a replay due to the income that will come along with it. 

The £1 million generated from the replay at Old Trafford will help the League Two side spruce up their stadium. Chairman Dave Doggett told the Daily Mirror about the upcoming improvements: “Hopefully we can get the stadium done and start putting in some proper toilets. Some toilets and tea bars and more hospitality…that’s what we will do.”

The U's have a chance to earn an even bigger payday if they pull off one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history on the red half of Manchester. 

2. Wolfsburg Pay Tribute to Junior Malanda and Then Beat Bayern Munich

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Wolfsburg honored late teammate Junior Malanda, who died in a car accident on January 10, with a wonderful tribute before their Bundesliga clash with Bayern Munich on January 30. 

Following the moving ceremony before the match, Wolfsburg unleashed an inspired performance on Bayern Munich and won 4-1. 

Bas Dost and Kevin De Bruyne scored two goals each in a game that witnessed Wolfsburg perfect counter-attacking football against one of the best sides in the world. 

"He was clearly looking down on us," Hecking told German television after the match, per Press Association Sport (via ESPN FC). "Of course we were all deeply affected by Junior Malanda's death. We said we wanted to remember him for how he was -- always happy." 

The victory pulled the Wolves within eight points of the defending champions, who looked vulnerable on a few occasions throughout the top-of-the-table clash. 

1. Bradford City Shock Chelsea

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Two years after they delivered a few upsets in the Capital One Cup, Bradford City provided us with a massive shock in the fourth round of the FA Cup. 

After falling behind by two goals at Stamford Bridge, the Bantams responded with four strikes of their own in one of the biggest upsets in the history of the competition. 

Jon Stead scored Bradford's first goal in the 41st minute, but the comeback effort didn't truly begin until the final 15 minutes of the match. 

Filipe Morais scored the equalizer in the 75th minute before Andrew Halliday and Mark Yeates finished off Chelsea in front of a stunned crowd at Stamford Bridge. 

The League One side earned a home match for the fifth round, but they will not get another opportunity to play the role of giant-killer, as they will face either Sunderland or Fulham at Valley Parade.

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