Miraculous FA Cup upset: Sixth-tier side knocks out reigning champs!

Many consider the English FA Cup the most prestigious and most romantic competition in the world, as the minnows can at any point face the Premier League giants - either as visitors at some state-of-the-art stadium or at home at their small but defiant grounds.

Today, the sixth-tier side Macclesfield had a chance to host Crystal Palace, the reigning FA Cup champions, and not only host them, but slap them in the face and knock them out - 2-1!

The utmost miracle occurred in the largest English competition, as the minnows, amateurs - call them as you wish - from central England eliminated last year's winners, earning one of the greatest victories in the club's history!

You'll never guess the only undefeated English club

In the 1908-1909 season, Crystal Palace were the giant killers that brushed aside the then-title holders, Wolverhampton, as a non-league side, and after 117 years, the fate has come full circle, as now they took the Wolves' role, while Macclesfield wrote one of the best pages of football in the cradle of this sport.

The Silkmen heroes were Paul Dawson, who broke the deadlock two minutes before the break, and Isaac Buckley, who doubled the minnows' lead a minute after the hour mark.

Oliver Glasner's reserve players, who got a chance today, fell seriously short and failed to assert dominance over the amateur side. The Austrian's second-half subs brought a slight improvement, which was enough only for Jeremy Pino's consolation goal from a direct free kick in the last minute.

Some would call this result an upset, a miracle, a shock, a surprise, but all of them, and all those who love football, would agree that, as long as we can witness these small, but enormous victories of little Davids over gigantic Goliaths, this sport will keep its essence intact.

Way to go, Macclesfield, and long live the FA Cup - the most romantic competition football has.

FA CUP - ROUND 3

Friday

Milton Keynes Dons - Oxford 3-4 on pen (1-1)

/Collins 34 - Lankshear 52/

Port Vale - Fleetwood 1-0 (1-0)

/Shipley 45+2/

Preston - Wigan 0-1 (0-0)

/Bettoni 75/

Wrexham - Nottingham Forest 4-3 on pen (3-3)

/Cacace 37, Rathbone 40, Hyam 74 - Jesus 64, Hudson-Odoi 76, 89/

Saturday

Cheltenham - Leicester 0-2 (0-2)

/Daka 23, Mavididi 45/

Everton - Sunderland IN PROGRESS

Macclesfield - Crystal Palace 2-1 (1-0)

/Dawson 43, Buckley 61 - Pino 90/

Wolverhampton - Shrewsbury 6-1 (3-1)

/Larsen 9, 41, 58, Arias 11, Gomes 86, Arokodare 90+2 - Marquis 26 pen/

18.00: (2.10) Boreham Wood (3.50) Burton (3.45)

18.00: (1.80) Burnley (3.50) Millwall (4.70)

18.00: (4.10) Doncaster (3.50) Southampton (1.82)

18.00: (1.58) Fulham (4.00) Middlesbrough. (5.90)

18.00: (1.33) Ipswich (5.50) Blackpool (8.50)

18.00: (1.07) Man.City (13.0) Exeter (25.0)

18.00: (1.75) Newcastle (3.60) Bournemouth (4.90)

18.00: (2.15) Salford City (3.45) Swindon (3.35)

18.00: (10.5) Sheffield W. (6.50) Brentford (1.25)

18.00: (3.10) Stoke (3.30) Coventry (2.20)

20.45: (2.25) Bristol City (3.30) Watford (3.00)

20.45: (4.70) Cambridge (3.50) Birmingham (1.80)

20.45: (1.25) Grimsby (6.50) Weston (10.0)

20.45: (2.55) Tottenham (3.35) Aston Villa (2.75)

23.00: (8.00) Charlton (4.70) Chelsea (1.40)

Sunday

15.00: (5.10) Derby (3.60) Leeds (1.73)

17.00: (12.0) Portsmouth (6.50) Arsenal (1.22)

17.30: (2.20) Hull (3.45) Blackburn (3.25)

17.30: (1.62) Norwich (3.80) Walsall (5.80)

17.30: (1.42) Sheffield Utd (4.60) Mansfield (7.50)

17.30: (2.55) Swansea (3.20) WBA (2.85)

17.30: (1.58) West Ham (4.00) QPR (5.90)

19.30: (1.88) Man.Utd. (3.60) Brighton (4.10)

***odds are subject to change***