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Which shock win has been the greatest and why?

Australia beat Denmark today and Tunisia beat France. Literally, nobody predicted these wins, coming as they are from two of the lowest-rated teams in the tournament,

A caveat applies: France had already won their group and rested their all their regular starters. However, even a Franc B team is easily more talented than an average tournament team. Tunisia goes out but with a major scalp and for a small football nation, that is not nothing.

For me, the Australia team was a bigger shock. The 2006 team also got to the knock-out stages but that was a much much more talented side. The Denmark team is packed with players who earn a living in the biggest European leagues and were many people's hipster choice to go deep in the tournament. By contrast, the Aussie squad wouldn't look out of place in the English second division. They have tremendous grit though.

Also, in this contest: Saudi Arabia beat Argentina, Morrocco beat Belgium and Japan beat Germany. Costa Rica's victory over Japan also has to count as a shock, given they had just lost 7-0 to Spain. They then beat the team who beat Germany.

Through hard work and organisation, it is possible to narrow the gap between yourself and a much more talented side. There is still a gap between the top-level football nations and the rest, but only when the big team plays well. This is what the WC is all about: journeyman professionals raising their game on the biggest stage they will ever play and getting the glory by slaying a giant.

The Qatar team was not involved in an upset. Good.
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Northwest · M
Saudi Arabia has not shocked the world like this, since 9/11 and Khashoggi.

Did Qatar qualify, or does the home team get a freebie?
Burnley123 · 41-45, M
@Northwest You probably know but the host nation gets granted automatic qualification. There is no way that Qatar team would have made it in on merit. They are a League One standard team (the English third professional league).
Northwest · M
@Burnley123 I’m going on a limb here, but this must be the first time the “I am the host” clause got triggered.
Abstraction · 61-69, M
@Northwest South Africa. Maybe Chile.
Northwest · M
@Abstraction My question should have been: would they have qualified? Chile, in 1962, would have. Turns out the defending champions get an automatic qualification as well.
Burnley123 · 41-45, M
@Northwest
Turns out the defending champions get an automatic qualification as well.

That used to be the case but not for a long time. One of the main reasons that they dropped that rule is that it made stopped the champions from having competitive games between tournaments. Denmark won Euro 92 (a historic upset) and then their FA decided (and insisted_ that they play qualifiers for the next Euros because they needed the money. They did qualify anyway but that created a president.

@Abstraction Yes, South Africa would probably not have qualified for their host world cup in 2010, though they at least put up a competitive performance as host and narrowly failed to get out of a tough group.

Chile, I don't know because its too far back for my knowledge. They have never been a giant of South America and their most famous game was the one in that contest against Italy which is meant to have been the dirtiest WC game ever. The 'Battle of Santiago,' was more of a fight than a football match.

[media=https://youtu.be/T5jVMSlpZhg]

🤣
Northwest · M
@Burnley123 Holy fuck. That's some game.

Sadly Mexico is out.
Burnley123 · 41-45, M
@Northwest Very narrowly but they have been mediocre. they've fallen below their normal last sixteen level and it's deserved..USA is CONCACAF's last man standing. I don't see Costa Rica troubling Germany.

Mexico a country if a hundred million and it's their mains at sport. They should be a world power but for various reasons they are not. Argentina, a Latin America country with less than half the population, produces at least three times their number of top players.
Northwest · M
@Burnley123 [media=https://youtu.be/nk912hKxFgE]