In this football language post for learners of English we look at the football expression ‘come from the dead‘ which is used when a team comes back after being behind in the game. You can also read the transcript for this post below, while you can also check out our glossary of footballing phrases here and visit our site to access all our previous posts and podcasts. If you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at admin@languagecaster.com.
(to) Come back from the dead
To make a remarkable comeback, to stage a fightback when all seems lost. If a team comes back from the dead it suggests that no one believes they can come back but then they do – Liverpool’s win over AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final and Tottenham’s win over Ajax in the 2019 Champions League semi-final were two examples of teams coming back from the dead to win. No one gave either team a chance of winning but both of them staged remarkable late comebacks to do so.
- Example: America came back from the dead against Flamengo in the Copa Libertadores quarter-final.
- Example: In the 2005 Champions League final Liverpool were 0-3 down against AC Milan, yet they came back from the dead to win the title on penalties.