Football can be very, very cruel.

The thrill of victory for one side is always balanced by the agony of defeat for another leaving one set of players crumbled on the pitch while their opponents celebrate wildly.

Inevitably, some losses are much more painful than others. Whether it is the circumstances that decide the match or the magnitude of the contest itself, tear-jerking losses come in many different forms.

Here are some of the most heartbreaking losses in world football history in no particular order.

AC Milan vs. Liverpool: 2005 Champions League Final

When Liverpool fell behind AC Milan 3-0 before the halftime whistle had even sounded it seemed like the 2005 Champions League crown was well out of reach.

Two goals from Argentine Hernan Crespo were preceded by a surprising strike from legendary defender Paolo Maldini which had Milan heading into the locker room with the victory all but secured.

Even the most passionate, optimistic Liverpool supporters certainly thought Ol’ Big Ears would be heading to Italy.

And we all know what happens now, right?

Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso provided the goals for one of the most thrilling comebacks in football history. The crowd at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul was in utter shock; the Liverpool fans were boisterous while the Milan supporters were silent.

Liverpool would go on to lift the trophy after Jerzy Dudek backstopped his club to a famous 3-2 victory in the penalty shootout.

Chelsea vs. Barcelona: 2009 Champions League Semifinal

Barcelona managed to break Chelsea hearts in 2009 after one of the more controversial matches in Champions League history.

The match is often remembered for the curious refereeing display by Norwegian official Tom Henning Ovrebo who denied Chelsea two clear penalties with fans of the Blues suggesting there could have been a couple more as well.

The English side led the match 1-0 following a thunderbolt first-half goal from midfielder Michael Essien (which also gave them a 1-0 lead on aggregate) so things looked good for the Londoners despite their displeasure with Ovrebo.

That is when Andres Iniesta scored in the 93rd minute to snatch a place in the Champions League final and send Chelsea home disappointed once again following their loss to Manchester United in the final of the competition the previous year.

Ghana vs. Uruguay: 2010 World Cup Quarterfinal

In the first World Cup ever played on African soil, Ghana made it to the quarterfinals of the tournament with an opportunity to make a groundbreaking appearance in the semifinal which would have been the first ever for an African nation.

The only thing standing in the way for the Black Stars was Uruguay.

After an enthralling back-and-forth encounter that saw the match tied at one late in extra time, Ghana was given the chance to make history.

After Ghana striker Dominic Adiyiah headed the ball beyond Uruguayan keeper Fernando Muslera, Luis Suarez raised both hands to ensure that the ball didn’t cross the line. Suarez was given a red card and Ghana was awarded with the potential winning penalty kick.

When Asamoah Gyan—the team’s leading scorer and talisman at the tournament—stepped up to the spot, the storybook ending was already being written around the world.

That was until Gyan blasted his kick off the crossbar giving Uruguay a lifeline it would not pass up.

The South Americans would go on to win the match 4-2 on penalties breaking not only Ghanaian hearts but those of the entire continent.

Italy vs. Germany: 2006 World Cup Semifinal

Another match where injury time steals the show.

European rivals Italy and Germany played an enthralling 118 minutes of scoreless football in front of 65,000 fans in Dortmund before the pro-German crowd had its heart broken.

After left back hero Fabio Grosso scored one of the more memorable goals in World Cup history—followed by one of the more emotional celebrations—cameras showed utter despair in the crowd as fans with German flags and face paint were reduced to tears.

Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero would secure the result with the final kick of the match minutes later as Italy stopped Germany from making an appearance in the showpiece event of the tournament in Berlin.