The World Cup has produced other incredible surprises; while Argentina’s loss to Saudi Arabia is a significant setback for Lionel Messi’s team, let us share with you one of the biggest that had an impact on the victor.
A few surprises, controversies, and physical assaults against Pele—possibly the greatest player to ever live—were produced in 1966.
The surprise
But the biggest surprise came when the North Koreans beat one of the biggest teams in football at the time, the Italians, to qualify for the World Cup.
Following their shocking loss to the tiny pawns of a communist nation, the Italian team received a “tomato” welcome from their supporters.
As for the North Koreans, it was their very first appearance in the popular competition.
It happened after Fifa decided to put all African and Asian countries in one group to decide which one would qualify for the World Cup.
The Asian and African nations boycotted the elimination rounds, dissatisfied that only one of them would be selected for the competiton.
The North Koreans were left to play the Australians, and to everyone’s surprise, the North Koreans won both games and qualified for the World Cup.
After an early defeat by the Soviet Union in their group match, everybody thought the Koreans would pack their bags after meeting the Italians.
But Pak Doo-ik made history with his lone goal that shock two-time winners Italy at Ayresome Park in Middlesbrough.
North Korea have only been back to the World Cup once, at South Africa 2010.
Saudi Arabian Glory
The much anticipated win by the Argentinians turned sour after the Saudis woke up in the second half, playing a very different football than what they displayed in the first half and started attacking the Argentinians.
While Messi scored their lone goal, he had one goal rejected for off-side and the Argentinian side saw another two by Lauturo Mrtinez chalked off for offside. This must have been very frustrating for them as they were leading 1-0 through Messi’s penalty in the 10th minute.
However, we believe the biggest upset in the World Cup will remain the 7-1 defeat of the mighty Brazilians against the Germans in 2014. The crushing defeat occurred on Brazilian soil and there is nothing the Brazilians can do to erase this complete bashing.
However, we are not finished with the North Korean shocker in 1966. Rumours had it that the North Korean national television station on that day played the moment the North Korean scorer netted the goal
The TV station then allegedly said North Korea had won the World Cup by beating the Italians in the final of the competition. It was time for a great celebration.
For the Saudi Arabians, this victory is also savoured as the biggest in their football annals, with the country announcing a public holiday on Wednesday.
The public holiday will be for all state employees “and the private sector, and male and female students in all educational stages”, the government announced on Tuesday evening.
Fans were seen in Qatar celebrating the victory and on YouTube, the players were also seen celebrating their first win in their opener in the World Cup.
How will the Argentinians receive Messi and his mates if they fail to qualify for round two? No tomatoes we hope.
This famous song “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina” became something of an anthem when it was performed by Madonna in the 1996 musical film Evita.
Now 26 years later, it sounds so shockingly appropriate.
Whatever adjectives you use, you’d be absolutely lost for screaming words as underdogs Saudi Arabia scored one of the biggest World Cup upsets ever by beating Lionel Messi’s Argentina 2-1.
Poor Messi. His quest to win the one major title to elude him got off to a shocking start and brought back memories of Cameroon’s 1-0 win over an Argentina team, led by Diego Maradona, in the opening game of the 1990 World Cup.
BIG-HEARTED SAUDIS
When Argentina scored with a 10th-minute Messi penalty, it simply looked a foregone conclusion…a possible rout in store, like Iran getting shell-shocked 6-2 by England.
But the big-hearted Saudis fought back and goals by Saleh Alshehri and Salem Aldawsari in a five-minute span in the second half gave this unimaginable win.
Believe me, this Argentina loss rivals other World Cup upsets like Senegal’s 1-0 win over titleholder France in the 2002 tournament opener and the United States beating England by the same score in 1950.
It’s hard to ever think that Argentina’s 36-match unbeaten run ended at the Lusail Stadium in Messi’s fifth — and likely last— World Cup.
SPORTING MESSI
But Messi, the Paris Saint-Germain star striker, was sporting at the final whistle. Heshook hands with a Saudi coaching staff member and stood with his hands on his hips near the centre circle, an all-too-familiar scene for one of the best players ever, who is yet to win the biggest prize in soccer.
For the record, Argentina‘s results at the FIFA World Cup ranks as one of the most successful national football teams in the world, having won two World Cups in 1978 and 1986. Argentina has been runners up three times: in 1930, 1990 and 2014. In 19 World Cup tournaments, Argentina had 47 victories in 82 matches. The team was present in all but four of the World Cups, being behind only Brazil and Germany in number of appearances (with the 2022 edition included, to be played).
Now sorry tears may well in your eyes for Messi and Argentina. You ask: How will they now pull back and make it out of this group?
* Suresh Nair is an award-winning sports journalist who is also a qualified international coach and international referee instructor
The FIFA World Cup has been around for almost a century. The cup has brought the spotlight on numerous players such as Pele, Ronaldo, Neymar and many more. It is a rarity as it only occurs every four years.
There are many speculations on this year’s World Cup, but due to the scandal about Qatar’s human rights issues and the splitting of the Champions/Premier League is making it look rushed.
Numerous important players were unable to join this year’s World Cup due to injuries from the Premier League. Furthermore, it is still unclear if Son Heung-Min is able to play in it after his eye socket injury.
Fans have already begun making memes about the 2022 World Cup and claimed that Spain will pass the ball until they “die.” Portugal will pass the ball to Ronaldo constantly for him to strike, Brazil will constantly dribble the ball to confuse other players and jokingly claim that for Argentina, if another team hurts him, they will die.
Now, the list of the 5 best World Cups was made by shortlist.com and it has quite a number of interesting facts to it.
Number 5, South Korea/Japan
Image of the 2002 World Cup logo, from Wikipedia.
The 2002 World Cup, 20 years ago, is listed as the fifth best in this list. Brazilian Ronaldo led Brazil to be the best team of the cup. 2002 was the year that Brazil beat Germany in a 2-0 final match.
In the list, they mentioned the most shocking things that happened in the year. Namely, the questionable refereeing that was done in the South Korea vs Italy match where South Korea saw an advantage over the latter. The United States also managed to beat Portugal and send them home. This is only for them to be sent home by Germany.
Number 4, England
The Queen presenting the World Cup to England captain, Bobby Moore. Image from Wikipedia.
The 1966 World Cup, which was hosted by England and was brought up by numerous Qatar defenders when it came to the LGBT rights issue the Middle East country had. Again, Italy lost to Korea, but this time it was North Korea. It appears that the Italians have a weakness for Koreans.
England had a third goal in the 1966 finals and it is considered to be one of the most memorable moments in FIFA’s history as it is the most contested goal in any World Cup Final. Furthermore, the Jules Rimet trophy was stolen from the exhibition and it caused panic right before the cup started but it was later found wrapped in paper under some bushes in London.
Number 3, Mexico
Image of Maradona holding the World Cup trophy. From Wikipedia.
The 1986 World Cup was listed as the third best. Argentina was listed as the best team for the year and the centre of attention was Maradona. Argentina, under Maradona’s amazing skills, managed to beat West Germany in a shocking 3-2 final. It was dubbed the victory of the ‘poor countries’ by some.
Morocco was considered to be one of the biggest shocks of the 1986 Cup as they managed to beat England, Portugal and Poland. However, in the end they were beaten by West Germany. Furthermore, Maradona’s goal was regarded as “the goal of the century.”
Number 2, Italy
Image of an ongoing match in the 1990 Italy World Cup. From Wikipedia.
The 1990 tournament was held by Italy. West Germany won the match and Argentina was a close runner up. It appears that Cameroon also made the list of one of the notable countries of that year’s World Cup.
Cameroon beat Argentina in a 1-0 match and it was said to be a tough game but Cameroon deserved the win. Roger Milla was the ultimate star for Cameroon. Their tackle against Argentina was said to be one of the greatest of all time. Costa Rica then humiliated Scotland and Ireland had an amazing quarter final.
Number 1, Mexico (again)
Image of Pele in the 1970 Mexico World Cup. From Wikipedia.
Not to be confused with the 1986 Cup as this one is the 1970 Finals. Apparently, Mexico is good at hosting the World Cup as they appeared on the list twice. Brazil won the cup that year and it’s mostly thanks to Pele, Carlos Alberto, Gerson, Tostao, Rivelino and Jairzinho. They are called the ‘Giants of Brazil’ until today.
The biggest shock was that England was leading their match against West Germany with a 2-0 scoreboard. However, West Germany fought back and whacked them with a 3-2 scoreline at the end of the game.
Brazil destroyed Italy that year with a remarkable 4-1 result. This specific event was ranked as the best due to the fact that the highest score per game ratio was seen in 1970. Apparently it has not been beaten ever since.
What will happen in the next World Cup?
Will the 2022 World Cup measure up with these five best cups? We will have to wait and see when the games commence next week.
SOUTH Korea held their head very high as a last-gasp 2-1 goal shocked Portugal at the Qatar World Cup.
With qualification already secured, the Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal tried to maintain their all-win record in their final Group H encounter. But they were in for an unexpected result.
South Korea have yet to muster a win at this 2022 FIFA World Cup. But they registered an out-of-this-world victory to progress to the Round of 16.
It was simply unbelievable: The South Korea’s players react at the final whistle after a dramatic injury-time goal from Hwang Hee-Chan sends them through to the second round of the World Cup.
INJURY-TIME WINNER
Hwang gave South Korea the sensational injury-time victory over Portugal that meant they beat Uruguayto a last-16 place – simply on goals scored.
Hwang ran Son Heung-min‘s pass in the 91st minute to round off a counter-attack and start wild celebrations from his side’s fans in the stands.
As a result, Portugal and Uruguay enter the knockout stages from Group H, at the expense of Uruguay and Ghana.
WHO QUALIFIES
Here’s what the Round of 16 fixtures are:
Netherlands vs USA
Argentina vs Australia
France vs Poland
England vs Senegal
Japan vs Croatia
Brazil vs South Korea
Morocco vs Spain
Portugal vs Switzerland
And surely, you can sit at the edge of your seats and expect more Qatar-styled upsets.
* Suresh Nair is an award-winning sports journalist who is also a qualified international coach and international referee instructor.
The football fans are fixated on who is the greatest of all time in the soccer arena with the duel between Cristiano Ronald and Lionel Messi entering its last global phase, perhaps.
Nonetheless, Ronaldo and Messi are the only two popular and talented players in our era who have never won the World Cup.
While it is true that Portugal is not a large team with many talented players that can easily claim the title of World Cup winner, the same cannot be said for Argentina, a country that has produced two World Cup victories so far.
Argentina has reached the World Cup final on four occasions. It was defeated by the Uruguay national team way back in 1930, which is the inaugural World Cup competition.
However, Argentina produced excellent football in the competition winning by big scores and establishing Guillermo Stábile, an Argentine professional football player and manager who played as a centre forward during his career, as the top scorer of the 1930 World Cup, scoring 8 goals including a hattrick.
Alas, it lost the final against the gritty Uruguayans with the match ending in a 4-2 win for Uruguay.
Argentina was also defeated in two other finals, in 1990 and 2014, against Germany and the latter went on to win those two finals by 1-0. In 1990, it was the last appearance for maestro Diego Maradona.
But Messi’s country produced two great final victories against the Netherlands in 1974, winning 3-1 in a display of magical soccer between the two opponents (Netherlands had the father of modern football Johan Cryuiff in its squad) and beating Germany in a thrilling 3-2 final giving Maradona his only World Cup final win.
While Messi lost in the first ever final in which he participated in 2014, Ronaldo’s Portugal never reached the final though the troubled Manchester United superstar has played in 4 World Cups since 2006.
Who Will Smile at the 2022 World Cup?
We wrote that Ronaldo is a player who sets precedence and sets the tone for styles and goal scoring prowesses. This is so true for the great player and he is also the first to win a ‘regional’ trophy with his country when Portugal won its first ever Euro Championship in 2016, beating France 1-0 in the final after extra time.
It was Ronaldo’s most important national trophy, leaving the World Cup as the only major international trophy he has yet to win.
The star is going through the most turbulent and disturbing period in his football career and his coach at Manchester United is not helping the player with his dictatorial style and his bullying of one of the greatest soccer stars of all time.
This is not going to help Ronaldo in Portugal’s search for a place in the final at Qatar though we know that the latter cna rise to the occasion if he can put all his woes behind him and focus on the football on the field.
A great performance by Ronald at the World Cup will make Eric Ten Hag look like a fool. But Ronaldo is going through pain and this may, unfortunately for his fans and for football, Ten Hag is contributing to a potentially bad World Cup for the latter.
Ten Hag has- sadly – never played in any World Cup and is already seen as a troubled coach at Man Utd. The 6-3 defeat against Manchester City and the 4-0 drubbing against Brentford are two big dark spots in his managerial career at Old Trafford. Another misstep with a drubbing by a small club or a big one for that matter may mean Ten Hag could see the gate wide open for him to be excluded from the club.
Why sadly? He does not know how precarious it is to be a player who is going to play in a World Cup. If he knew, he would have been more careful in his choices with Ronaldo.
Nevertheless, Lionel Messi is not facing such worries and the Argentinian ace is in the running as one of the top rated players who may perform well in Qatar.
Messi has announced that this may be his last call for Argentina in the World Cup and that he may retire as an international soccer player, meaning he might not play for his country again after Qatar 2022.
Ronaldo has responded to Messi’s plans for retirement from international football by saying he hopes Messi would reconsider and would continue to play as long as he can because he believes the latter is a great player with great capacities.
This is how Ronaldo is. He encourages his opponents to carry on and to perform in order to bring brightness to the most beautiful game on the planet. Unlike some people.
Messi’s World Cup?
Among all the stars in Qatar, Messi will undoubtedly be looked upon as one of the greatest and he will become the greatest versus Ronaldo if Argentina reaches the final and wins.
Messi too started his World Cup appearances in 2006. Unfortunately, like Ronaldo, he has been putting more emphasis on clus football – which brings them more cash – than national football.
Unlike people like Pele for example, who played for their country with the same grit and enthusiasm when they played for their clubs – Pele won many club titles and World Cup finals at the same time – it does not appear the same for the modern ‘Peles’.
However, Messi has a chance now and if he forgets club soccer for a while, perhaps he may spark a riot at the World Cup and bring the trophy home to Buenos Aires and consecrate himself as the GOAT of our generation.
Messi has scored six goals in 19 matches at the Fifa World Cup spanning four editions. Argentina is a bigger soccer country than Portugal, though Portugal has also produced aces like Ronaldo and the once thrilling Eusebio whose team beat Pele’s in the 1966 World Cup.
Ronaldo has scored seven goals in 17 matches at the FIFA World Cup, scoring in every edition he has played in – 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018.
While Ronaldo has advised Messi to continue playing in the World Cup or at International level for a few more years, this year may be his last World Cup.
But depending on his spirit and where he is playing after he leaves Manchester United – unless Ten Hag is kicked out of Old Trafford earlier than January 2023 – Ronaldo may still attempt to give Portugal another shot at the World Cup in 2026! Imagine that.
Nevertheless, it is a pity that none of them have lifted the World Cup trophy, just like the legendary Cryuff who re-invented football with his total soccer styles, reached the final in 1974 and lost to Germany by 2-1.
Cryuff missed the World Cup in 1978 which saw the Netherlands reach the final only to be defeated by host Argentina by 3-1. He did not participate in the World Cup for obscure reasons but in 2008 he revealed why he did not play for the country in 1978.
He told the media that there was a kidnapping attempt on him and his family and that shocked him and while he escaped the attempt, it changed his perspective on life.
Hence, Messi is the best placed in the Qatar 2022 versus Ronaldo who is going through a difficult time, to go and win the cup for once!
WORLD Cup history is full of memorable David versus Goliath wins, dramatic comebacks and defending champions suffering embarrassing defeats, as tournament dreams are made and broken.
The 2018 World Cup in Russia memorably featured Croatia’s push to the final and holders Germany ruthlessly knocked out in the group stages.
Now Qatar 2022 offers a host of potential shocks in the Middle East, just in the first week, with the hosts featuring in their first ever World Cup, and defending African champions Senegal even tipped to be the continent’s first ever World Cup semi-finalist..
SHOCK STAGE
Now as you read this, we’re left with jaws dropping as unfancied Saudi Arabia pulls off an undescribable, unbelievable 2-1 win over Argentina. This definitely sets the stage for more biggest upsets ever and you can look ahead to more potential shock results at Qatar 2022:
But the “big boys” shouldn’t get the unnecessary shivers with the group results as Spain showed in 2010 when they lost 1-0 to Switzerland before going on to ultimate glory in South Africa.
Yet the early morale-boosters in the opening round of fixtures will be crucial for smaller nations to gain a psychological advantage at the 2022 World Cup, especially with complacency from the favourites often a key feature in their opening matches.
Looking on hindsight, isn’t this the rip-roaring beauty of World Cup Finals matches?
In my view, it’s early days yet, but the potential upsets can be expected fromQatar (world rank 48), Costa Rica (34), Ghana (50) and Saudi Arabia (51).
* Suresh Nair is an award-winning sports journalist who is also a qualified international coach and international referee instructor
