Big stage football has a habit of throwing up surprises, including shock results and dramatic turnarounds. France this week qualified for the 2014 World Cup by overturning a 2-0 deficit to the Ukraine in the qualification playoffs.

Throughout the years there have been plenty of dramatic comebacks in international tournaments and qualification games around the globe. Here, Sports Mole picks out five of their favourites.

1. Angola 4-4 Mali, January 2010

Dead-certain results do not come much clearer than a side being 4-0 up with just 11 minutes to play. That is the position that Africa Cup of Nations hosts Angola found themselves in during the 2010 tournament's opening game. What could possibly go wrong from this point?

Seydou Keita scored what was surely a consolation goal, before Frederic Kanoute headed his side's second. Then came injury time, and incredibly two more goals for Mali through Keita again and Mustapha Yatabare. There was reportedly a student who put his entire loan on Angola when they were 4-0 up.

2. Germany 4-4 Sweden, October 2012

Coming from four goals down away to Angola is one thing, but against the might of the Germans it is an entirely different story. Even at this point Germany were one of the favourites for next year's World Cup and when they went even 3-0 up, let alone 4-0, the game was surely as good as over.

Germany's 100% record in the group was not looking likely to be threatened, even when Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored in the 62nd minute to make it 4-1. Within 14 minutes Mikael Lustig and Johan Elmander had made it 4-3, and with Sweden running out of time Rasmus Elm netted an unlikely equaliser in Berlin.

3. North Korea 3-5 Portugal, 1966

The 1966 World Cup is one of the most memorable tournaments, and not only because of England's win. This match was just one of many high-scoring games throughout the tournament. The Koreans started brilliantly and had one foot in the semi-finals with a 3-0 lead after just 24 minutes.

However, Portugal, and in particular Eusebio, had not read the script. Portugal's star of the tournament pulled two back before half time before adding another brace in three second-half minutes. The result was safe with 10 to go through Jose Augusto.

4. Turkey 3-2 Czech Republic, June 2008

The Czech Republic were on course to book their place in the quarter-finals of Euro 2008 when Jan Koller and Jaroslav Plasil put them 2-0 up against Turkey and with 15 minutes left their passage looked even more safe.

However, there was to be another remarkable comeback from the Turkish side. Arda Turan got the first back on 75 minutes and Nihat bundled in after a Petr Cech error. Nihat's second - and the winner - was a fine strike and it fired his team into the next round.

5. France 2-1 Italy, July 2000

There are few better times to secure a comeback win than the final of the European Championship, and this is exactly what France managed in the Netherlands in 2000.

After a stalemate of a first half Marco Delvecchio scored for Italy, and his side were looking like holding on with sheer Italian determination. However, deep into injury time Sylvain Wiltord netted a dramatic equaliser to take the game to extra time, before David Trezeguet completed the turnaround with a wonderful finish.