FIFA 2010 World Cup Special Report: 11 Outrageous First Round Exits in World Cup History
The World Cup in South Africa has so far had one of the most bizarre instances. While there is the surprise omission of many star players, there are also the unpredictable knockouts of some powerhouse football teams. Here is a look at the top eleven instances from history:
No-11- Hungary 1958
The dynasty of Hungary finally ended in 1958 with the loss against Germany. This was seen as the descent of one of the most powerful football nation which has, till date, failed to make a comeback to this day. The finalists of the 1954 World Cup succumbed again West Germany. There were only 3 players playing in the Hungarian team from the past squad and that was because of the oppression from the Soviet Union. Most of the players had left the country because of that.
No-10- Portugal 2002
Portugal entered the tournament with explosive talent. However, a 3-0 deficit after just 36 minutes saw them fail, despite their comeback of two goals. Portugal reached the semi-final of Euro 2002 and was expected to qualify for the last stages in the World Cup held in Korea. However, another humiliation against Poland and South Korea killed any chances of that. They lost 3-0 to Poland and South Korea scored a late winner to eliminate them. Portugal also managed to win two red cards in frustration.
No- 9- Colombia 1994
People might think that the entry of Colombia is unjustified but let’s get to the facts. They had a stunning team with the elite of the era and had dominated the football pitch against demolition teams like Argentina with a score of 5-0. Pelé had even announced them as the possible candidates to win the World Cup and interestingly, they had been producing quite stable performances in the recent past. For them, the tragedy happened when Romania defeated Columbia with 3 goals to 1, USA with 2 goals to 1 and Switzerland drove the final nail in coffin with a 2-0 score line.
No- 8- Argentina 2002
Argentina drew the short stick in the Group of Death in 2002 when they were drawn up with Sweden, Nigeria and England. They landed in Japan for the World Cup with an astounding arsenal full for the attack. Despite their loss to England due to a penalty, Argentina drew against Sweden. This made their triumph against Nigeria null and void. A better performance from other teams is what took them down that year.
No- 7- Italy 1974
They were the finalists in 1970 and because of that big things were expected from them. They defeated Haiti 3-1 while managing a 1-1 draw against Argentina. Their fate now relied upon the encounter against Poland which they lost 2-1. Further on, Argentina scored 4 goals against Haiti, giving them a better goal difference so they qualified ahead of them.
No- 6- France 2010
They were last year’s finalist and were classified among the top favourites for the World Cup in South Africa. Scandalous pre-World Cup scenarios and controversial squad omissions already had the team de-motivated enough. Then the World Cup journey didn’t help either. After a couple of poor performances, they eventually lost to host South Africa 2-1.
No- 5- Italy 2010
Marcello Lippi and his team were heavily criticized because of their stream of unwieldy performances and though they produced a stunning game against Slovakia, they were defeated and their previous draws in their group didn’t help them either. There was so much expected from the defending champions but fans and experts had predicted back home that they would fail because of their aging team which consisted of players from the last World Cup. Apart from Lippi’s marred selection, injury issues let them down too.
No- 4- France 2002
This was a real stunner for the French fans back then. They lost their opening match to Senegal 1-0 and then managed a hapless 0-0 draw against Uruguay. But Zidane returned in the last match to become the saviour, only to see France lose with a 2-0 defeat.
No- 3- Brazil 1966
Brazil was invincible. They had acquired the last two World Cup trophies and were planning to do the same again. But there were other plans from the three competing teams in their group. Though Brazil won against Bulgaria, Hungary defeated them while their eventual defeat came from a rough Portugal side with a 3-1 score. It is said that the reason for the Brazilian defeat was the injury to Pele.
No- 2- England 1950
The English were arrogant as usual. Their Football Association refused to participate in any FIFA tournaments, calling it pointless. However, when they took part in the 1950 World Cup, they soon learned a lesson which they remember. They booked their best and went ahead with the competition. Though they won against Chile, England was defeated by the USA - a defeat that shook them to their base. Eventually, they weren’t able to make a comeback from their and lost to Spain and eventually got eliminated.
No- 1- Italy 1966
They were given the title of the dream team because of players starring such as Gianni Rivera and Giacinto Facchetti. But it was fate once again that led them to a circumstantial exit. Though they defeated Chile in the opener, the overconfident team omitted their stars from the team to play against the Soviet Union and were held back to a draw. It was up to the last match against North Korea everyone can guess what happened... they were defeated 1-0 after which they went back home where they met a pile of flying garbage from all around the airport.
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