Many fans have been shocked by the two most memorable upsets in 2022. Seeing Saudi Arabia beat Argentina 2:1 and Japan bring down Germany with the same result is a bit surreal but we keep forgetting that this is the main theme of the World Cup. It is a high-level competition of the highest standard and anything can happen in a 90-minute game.
Let us look back in history and see what other upsets shook the world of football and stayed forever written in the history of sports.
Image source - Fifa.com
This surprise occurred in the tournament's first game. The defending world champions France appeared to have an even stronger team than the one that won the championship on home soil four years prior, despite being without the services of injured Zinedine Zidane. In addition, Les Bleus held the title of defending European champions after taking the crown in 2000. Senegal's match in the World Cup finals was their first ever.
This setback put France under pressure and after a draw with Uruguay, it was clear they won’t be leaving the group but heading home. Senegal, on the other hand, made history by qualifying for the Round of 16 making it all the way to the quarter-finals where they lost to Turkey.
In the opening game in Milan, when Diego Maradona and his teammates were supposed to put on a show, the defending champions failed to get going and lost to a team playing in just their second World Cup.
Both teams managed to leave the group but Argentina struggled the most, qualifying from third place only to beat Brazil and Italy before reaching the final where they lost to West Germany.
Cameroon also had a good run. They finished at the top of the group during qualifiers and won their first knockout game only to be beaten by England in the quarter-finals after a thrilling match.
In a group with three former world champions, Costa Rica was considered to be a complete outsider. Contrary to predictions, Costa Rica began their tournament with a victory over Uruguay in their first game and then proved it wasn't a fluke by defeating Italy in their second game.
Italy was eliminated in the group stage as expected, while Costa Rica won the group and went on to have their finest World Cup history, surpassing their run to the Round of 16 in Italy 1990 by making it all the way to the quarterfinal. With a victory in the penalty shootout, the Netherlands put a stop to their triumphs.
Costa Rica may have gotten a bad reputation after their 7-0 defeat to Spain in 2022 but their football history is more interesting than many may think.
In the last game of Group A, after Brazil had won its first two games and Norway had drawn their, the Norwegians made a comeback making this their second triumph in a World Cup game.
The result may have come as a shock but Brazil still managed to finish first in their group and make it all the way to the finals where they lost to France while the Scandinavian side got knocked out in their first match against Italy.
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