World Cup's biggest upsets: Argentina's loss to Saudi Arabia joins hall of shameNov 22, 2022Chris WrightToe Poke writer Argentina saw their 2022 World Cup campaign get off to a catastrophic start as Lionel Messi & Co. suffered a shock 2-1 defeat against Saudi Arabia in the opening game of Group C. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U. S. )Unbeaten in their previous 36 games heading into the tournament -- a streak that stretched back to July 2019 and was just behind Italy's world record 37-game run -- Argentina took the lead after just 10 minutes when Messi converted from the penalty spot.
Brazil: 1-7 vs. Germany, 2014 World Cup— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) May 25, 2018 While getting beaten by neighbours Uruguay on home soil in the final of the 1950 World Cup is a strong contender to be Brazil's most painful international embarrassment of modern times, the whole world was not watching it live as they were 64 years later. The year was 2014, the stadium was the Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, and Germany were the team responsible for dumping the Selecao from the semifinals of their own World Cup in the most brutal manner imaginable. Even before the match kicked off, the home side looked too emotional for their own good as they paid prematch tribute to star player Neymar, missing with a back injury sustained in the quarterfinal win over Colombia.
Italy: 0-1 vs. North Korea, 1966 World CupOne of THE all-time great #WorldCup upsets 🤯🇰🇵Korea DPR needed a win to continue their journey at England 1966, with an 🇮🇹Italy side feat. the likes of Sandro Mazzola and Giacinto Facchetti before them. But the name everyone remembers from that day is Pak Doo-ik 🙌 #OnThisDay pic. com/11LoUTNBqt— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 19, 2019 The day that Pak Doo-Ik wrote his name into football folklore forever, and at Ayresome Park in Middlesbrough of all places.
Papa Bouba Diop slid in to score the only goal of the game after El Hadji Diouf broke through Les Bleus' defensive line, leaving the startled reigning champions wondering what had just happened. The defending champions never recovered, with Thierry Henry getting sent off in a 0-0 draw with Uruguay before a 2-0 loss to Denmark guaranteed them an early return home. It was a similar story eight years later when, with the camp marred by in-fighting, 2006 runners-up France were eliminated at the group stage after losses to Mexico and hosts South Africa. Spain: 1-5 vs. Netherlands, 2014 World Cup#OnThisDay 5️⃣ years ago, @Persie_Official scored THAT #WorldCup goal for @OnsOranje 🇳🇱🛫 pic. com/2Bv62wCrfv— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 13, 2019 Having become accustomed to winning every tournament they entered, reigning world and European champions Spain were given a stern reality check in Brazil when Netherlands ran riot in Bahia.
That looked like being the first of several goals for the Albiceleste who dominated and had several goals ruled out for offside. However, the Saudis fought back and eventually took the lead shortly into the second half via two quick-fire goals from Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari -- the latter an early contender for goal of the tournament.
The score was level at half-time but a brilliant second-half performance from the Dutch saw them come from a goal down to crush Vicente del Bosque's men with a flurry of goals, including an inspired long-range diving header from Robin van Persie. With Spain seeking to win their fourth consecutive major international trophy, the defeat must surely rank as their most deflating on record (especially being the first time they'd conceded five goals in an international match since 1963). However, Gerry Armstrong would probably argue otherwise, as it was his goal that earned plucky Northern Ireland their famous 1-0 shock win against La Roja at the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
In yet another game that stretched well beyond the 100-minute mark, Herve Renard's side then held on for more than 40 minutes as wave after wave of Argentine attacks were resiliently thwarted. The final whistle sparks scenes of elation inside the Lusail Iconic Stadium as Argentina surrendered their long unbeaten run to an unfancied side outside the top 50 in the FIFA world ranking. Argentina can perhaps take some heart from the fact that they've lost their first game at a World Cup before, recovered and eventually gone on to make the final (more on that in a moment). But the loss to Saudi Arabia in Qatar goes straight into the annals of the most seismic upsets in tournament history, along with these other shock results.
By contrast, Cameroon were 500-1 outsiders, but that didn't stop the Indomitable Lions from giving absolutely everything they had to topple the big shots, despite being reduced to nine men by the end of play. The tactics worked -- just -- as Francois Omam-Biyik scored the decisive goal with a header in the 67th minute to snatch the hardest-fought of wins. Despite losing their first game, Argentina did rally to reach the final, only to lose out against West Germany by a single goal in Rome. France: 0-1 vs. Senegal, 2002 World Cup— Coupe du Monde 🏆 (@fifaworldcup_fr) May 17, 2018 France found themselves on the wrong end of one of the most memorable upsets in World Cup history when they were beaten by Senegal in the opening fixture of the 2002 finals.
Uruguay vs Saudi Arabia H2H - Livescores.biz