World Cup football revolves around excellence. It’s the glittering showpiece of a sport that’s enjoyed across 195 countries on six continents. Wherever you go in the world you’ll find superfans of the super game but there are only a handful of nations that have dominated the greatest show on earth.
Despite the power and prowess of the giants of football, the World Cup is the stage where anything can happen. The Nigerian Super Eagles could suddenly grow wings and claim the title in 2018 or Kim Jung-Un’s charges could pull off an explosive victory that’d put the droll dictator’s on-off nuclear armaments program to shame.
As with any ‘balls to the wall’ competition there are those rare occasions when the minnows really do to prevail. In honour of the small guys, here are 3 World Cup defeats that shocked the status quo:
North Korea (1) vs. Italy (0) - 1966
The 1966 World Cup in England was the scene of one of the most extraordinary defeats in history. It involved the proud Azzurri and the enigmatic North Koreans that through luck more than anything else had managed to sneak into the competition.
The Italians rocked up at Ayresome Park in Middlesbrough anticipating an easy win. Instead they were humiliated by a rampant North Korean team which by all accounts played entertaining attacking football. According to goal scorer Pak Doo-lk, it was the calm reassuring words of Supreme Leader Kim Il-Sung that stoked the fire in his men.
The 1 - 0 victory clearly wasn’t a fluke as the Asian rabble-rousers had Portugal against the ropes in the quarter final with a scintillating 3 - 0 lead. Unfortunately, the underdogs squandered their chances and were soundly beaten 5 - 3. Hooray for the North Koreans… who at that stage were the first-ever Asian team to reach the quarters!
Nigeria (3) vs Spain (2) - 1998
There are whispers that
Nigeria could become the first African nation to lift the trophy in Russia… and they have the kit, the chutzpah and the backing of 1,2 billion African fans to pull it off! Even if the Super Eagles don’t soar to the very apex of world football they have already made an indelible mark in World Cup history.
The date is 1998 and the stage is the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes, France. It’s the opening game for Group D combatants Nigeria and Spain and with luminaries like Luis Enrique, Fernando Hierro and the inimitable Raul billing La Furia Roja it was a foregone conclusion that Spain would pull off an easy win.
Spain did get the score board ticking but a header by Mutiu Adepoju - a man fondly known as The Head Master - ignited a fight back by the Super Eagles. A Raul flick gave the Spanish the lead, a lead that was eroded by Garba Lawal who capitalised on a mistake by Andoni Zubizaretta. It was even stevens until Sunday Oliseh stunned the crowd with a long-range strike… and the Super Eagles triumphed against all the odds!
USA (1) vs. England (0) - 1950
At the 1950 World Cup England pitched up in Brazil hoping for a clean run to the top. However, a group of semi-professional footballers from the United States of America had other ideas.
In one of the biggest shocks in the tournament’s history the men from stateside put paid to The Three Lion’s dream by scoring the only goal of the match. A strike by Haitian-born forward Joe Gaetjens saw England crash out in the group stages.
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