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Top six greatest upsets in FIFA World Cup history.
In Qatar, the FIFA World Cup 2022 is already well underway, and like in previous tournaments, surprises are to be expected. It is normal for an underdog to pull off an incredible victory over one of the teams thought to be superior in every FIFA World Cup.
The FIFA World Cup 2022 has only been going on for three days, but already the competition has been lit up by some amazing performances. We have seen significant one-sided outcomes, boring draws, and most importantly, upsets.
Is there anything that makes a football fan happier than an upset? What makes football the best sport in the world is when underdogs or little football nations defeat giants. In FIFA World Cup 2022, nothing has changed.
Japan shocked Germany, following Saudi Arabia’s surprising victory against tournament favourites Argentina on Tuesday.
In both cases, the victorious team overcame early deficits to surprise the more well-known side and rewrite history.
In this article, Mp3bullet have examined the six biggest surprises from previous FIFA World Cups.
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2002 World Cup – {South Korea 2-1 Italy}.
Co-hosts Guus Hiddink’s South Korea team performed admirably during the FIFA World Cup in 2002. In a game marred by referee mistakes, the Asians upset one of the tournament favourites to get to the quarterfinals.
Italy was one of the favourites to win the title because they had many of the top players in the world in their prime. In the first half, Christian Vieri gave Azzurri the lead as South Korea faced a reduced but still talented Italy team.
Seol Ki-Hyeon scored an equalizer in the 88th minute, and Ahn Jung-Hwan scored the game-winning goal with a header in the 117th.
South Korea lost to Germany in the semifinals and Turkey in the third-place playoff in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which was played on home soil, however, that was their best-ever performance at a FIFA World Cup.
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2002 World Cup – {Senegal 1-0 France}.
When France faced debutants Senegal in their group stage opening, they were aiming to defend their FIFA World Cup title. Despite having other elite players and playing without influential midfielder Zinedine Zidane due to injury, Les Bleus shockingly fell short against Senegal.
Senegal sought to demonstrate that it was no pushover and that it was a power to be feared. After only 30 minutes of play, the Lions of Teranga scored a goal through Papa Bouba Diop and then proceeded to defend desperately. They managed to hang on to the victory, a significant one for them.
With just one point from three games, France was eliminated from the competition in the group stage. On the other side, Senegal advanced to the quarterfinals before falling to Turkey by a solitary goal.
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2014 World Cup – {Costa Rica 1 – 0 Italy}.
The Central American underdog, Costa Rica, had to be the subject of an underdog tale created by the footballing gods. They not only defeated four-time champion Italy 1-0, but they also won their group, which included England and Uruguay. They eventually advanced to the quarterfinal round, when they were eliminated by the Netherlands on penalties.
Their victory over the 2012 Euro finalists in Italy, though, was definitely their defining moment. The game’s deciding goal came from a header by Bryan Ruiz in the 44th minute. For the first time in 24 years, they were guaranteed entry into the knockout rounds thanks to the victory. However, the highly anticipated European duo of England and Italy were eliminated.
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2018 World Cup – {South Korea 2-0 Germany}.
The defending champions from 2014 Like every World Cup, Germany entered the competition with great hopes. They were, however, in for a harsh awakening as they crashed out of the group stages after losing to a new “Loew” under manager Joachim Loew. In a group that also included South Korea, Mexico, and Sweden, Germany came in last.
Germany lost 0-2 against South Korea in their final group-stage match with qualification on the line. The Asian team, despite simply competing for pride, put up a defensive performance of the highest calibre under the direction of veteran Dutchman Guus Hiddink.
South Korea managed to pull off a surprising victory by scoring twice in stoppage time after fending off the German blitzkrieg the entire game without conceding. As a result, Germany failed to advance past the group stage for the first time since 1938.
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2022 World Cup – {Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia}.
Saudi Arabia’s defeat of Argentina in Qatar, probably the biggest surprise in FIFA World Cup history, shocked the favourites. La Albiceleste won the Copa America after going 36 games without a loss since 2019.
After going in front through a Lionel Messi penalty ten minutes into the game, Argentina lost to a quickfire double from Saudi Arabia in five second-half minutes. Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari scored in the 48th and 53rd minutes, respectively, to hand Saudi Arabia a hard-earned win over Argentina.
The most notable performance or outcome by an Arab nation in the World Cup thus far was Saudi Arabia’s victory over Argentina. La Albiceleste must regroup for the remainder of the group stage after being stunned in Lusail.
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2022 World Cup – {Germany 1-2 Japan}.
The rebels are winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The best day in Saudi Arabian football history will always be November 22. After their illustrious victory over Argentina, the Saudi King proclaimed a day of celebration in their memory. A similar response appears to be in store for today in the streets of Tokyo after Japan surprised Germany at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.
Ilkay Gundogan’s first-half penalty gave the Germans the advantage early on, and they appeared to be in complete control. Japan, like the Saudis, however, displayed tenacity and spirit to pull off an incredible comeback. Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano each scored late goals for the Samurai Blue to pull off the shocker.
Until 2018, Germany hadn’t gone out from the group stages at FIFA World Cups since 1938. Germany might lose to Spain on Sunday and leave the group stage once more.