๐ฎ IV ยท Shock Upsets
When the minnows ate the giants. USA over England 1950, North Korea over Italy, Senegal over France, Germany humbled by Korea and then by Mexico โ the days the form book burned.
Part of World Cup
17 moments in this segment.
- โ Algeria beat West Germany. World Cup debutants Algeria stun mighty West Germany 2โ1 in 1982 โ an upset so embarrassing it led directly to the "Disgrace of Gijรณn" and a rule change about simultaneous final group games.
- โ Cameroon reach the quarter-finals. After beating Argentina, Cameroon went on to become the first African team to reach a World Cup quarter-final in 1990, losing to England only in extra time โ the run that changed how the world saw African football.
- โ Ireland reach the quarters without winning a game. Jack Charlton's Ireland reached the 1990 quarter-finals having not won a single match in normal time โ drawing their way through and beating Romania on penalties, to delirium back home.
- โ Bulgaria knock out Germany. Inspired by Hristo Stoichkov, Bulgaria come from behind to beat defending champions Germany 2โ1 in the 1994 quarter-final and reach a stunning, unexpected semi-final.
- โ Senegal beat champions France. World Cup debutants Senegal beat the defending champions France 1โ0 in the 2002 opener through Papa Bouba Diop โ the holders crashing out without scoring a single goal.
- โ Senegal reach the quarter-finals. Not content with beating France, debutants Senegal beat Sweden in the round of 16 to reach the 2002 quarter-finals โ only the second African side ever to do so.
- โ South Korea reach the semi-finals. Co-hosts South Korea, roared on by the Red Devils, knock out Italy and then Spain to become the first Asian semi-finalists in World Cup history under Guus Hiddink.
- โ Turkey finish third on their return. Back at the World Cup after 48 years, Turkey reached the 2002 semi-finals and finished third โ Hakan ลรผkรผr scoring the fastest goal in World Cup history (11 seconds) in the third-place match.
- โ Switzerland beat eventual champions Spain. In their opening 2010 match, Switzerland beat Spain 1โ0 โ the only game the eventual champions lost all tournament, a reminder that even the best can be ambushed.
- โ Costa Rica top the group of death. Costa Rica beat Uruguay and Italy to win a 2014 group containing three former champions, then reached the quarter-finals โ one of the great underdog runs of the modern World Cup.
- โ Mexico beat holders Germany. Defending champions Germany are beaten 1โ0 by Mexico in their 2018 opener through Hirving Lozano, the shock that set up Germany's first-ever group-stage exit.
- โ South Korea dump out holders Germany. South Korea score twice in stoppage time to beat defending champions Germany 2โ0 in 2018, sending the four-time winners out in the group stage for the first time since 1938.
- โ USA 1, England 0 โ the miracle of Belo Horizonte. A team of American amateurs beats the mighty England in 1950 โ so improbable that some British papers assumed the score was a typo and printed England 10, USA 1. Still one of the greatest upsets in sporting history.
- โ North Korea knock out Italy. Unknown North Korea beat two-time champions Italy 1โ0 at Middlesbrough in 1966, sending the Azzurri home to a barrage of rotten tomatoes and one of the World Cup's most romantic underdog stories.
- โ Saudi Arabia shock Argentina. Eventual champions Argentina open the 2022 World Cup by losing 2โ1 to Saudi Arabia โ one of the biggest upsets in the tournament's history, on the way to Messi finally lifting the trophy.
- โ Japan come from behind to beat Germany. Four-time champions Germany lead 1โ0 before Japan strike twice late to win 2โ1 in 2022 โ part of a wild day of upsets, and a result that ultimately sent Germany out at the group stage again.
- โ Morocco become the first African semi-finalists. Morocco beat Belgium, Spain and Portugal to reach the 2022 semi-finals โ the first African and first Arab nation ever to go that far, igniting celebrations across the continent and the Arab world.
