Everyone loves an underdog.
Well, not everyone. All the newly baptized Chelsea fans probably don’t. And neither do Brazilians, I guess. But underdogs are a wonderful part of any World Cup, and almost as surely to feature significantly as are their glamourous nemeses. And as much as you can safely predict a superpower winning the world cup, you can also safely predict an underdog or two causing some upsets and possibly getting up to the semi-finals.
If like me you believe that you can tell the future by looking at the past, then big teams beware. There’s a dark horse lurking in one of your groups, waiting to rise from its unfancied slumber.
In 1982 it was Poland, guided by the mercurial Zbigniew Boniek. His hattrick against Belgium midway through the World Cup not only drew the attention of clubs like Juventus, where he was to transfer, but also highlighted the solid tournament play of the Poles. Poland eventually went out to a Paolo Rossi double, but a trend had been set in modern World Cups.
Four years on, it was the Belgians who turned on the surprise, taking out stronger oppositions in the USSR and Spain with grit in defence. At the heart of the Belgium backline was their inspiring goalkeeper Jean-Marie Pfaff, who was eventually beaten in the semi-finals, this time to a double by Maradona.
Italia 90 would feature no dark horses in the semi-finals, but who can ever forget the incredible Cameroon side that delighted the world with its brand of attacking African football? Cameroon would stun Argentina and Colombia before barely losing to England in the quarter finals.
The dark horse trend escalated in USA 94, when the Bulgarian and Swedish teams, spearheaded respectively by Hristo Stoichkov and Thomas Brolin clawed their way into the semi-finals. Along the way, these unfancied nations defeated powers like Germany and Argentina before capitulating again, both to slender defeats by Italy and Brazil in the semi finals.
The pattern would continue in 1998, when the surprise package of the World Cup turned out to be debutants Croatia. Blessed with a generation of players like Davor Suker and Zvonimir Boban, the Croats notoriously trashed Germany 3-0 at the climax of a dramatic World Cup run that was halted only by eventual champions France, but ended on a high note, defeating a mighty Dutch side for third place.
If the Asian World Cup four years later did nothing else, it confirmed once and for all that the powers of the world had shifted, and that the traditional strongholds no longer held the oligarchy of footballing dominance. From as early as the curtain raiser, Senegal shocked defending champions France to begin a delightful run, taking out Scandinavian giants Denmark and Sweden before bowing out to another newcomer, Turkey. Elsewhere, USA was fast stamping its mark, defeating Portugal and Mexico en route to the quarter finals.
It could very well have been Turkey’s World Cup. Like Croatia before them, this Turkey team was the product of a generation of players at their peak: Rustu Recber, Umit Davala, Hasan Sukur and Ilhan Mansiz… these are just some of the names that will be remembered for displaying great dark horse football: big on heart, excitement and individual talent. Turkey eventually lost to a mighty Brazil, but like Croatia again, finished third on a high.
But Korea/Japan 2002 belonged truly to only one team: co-host Korea. Backed by a sea of fanatical red supporters, “The Mighty Reds” went on a massive giant slaughter spree, killing off the hopes of Portugal, then Italy, then Spain. Sheer grit, indefatigable football, disciplined organisation and bewildering fitness were the chief reasons for their success. Theirs was truly the romance story of the World Cup.
The monopoly of the superpowers has never really recovered since the last World Cup. The big teams can fall to anyone nowadays, and the likelihood of upsets has risen to the point where even the idea of an upset should fast become a dubious one. To think that the Big Eight teams (Brazil, Argentina, Germany, England, Italy, France, Holland and Spain) will all occupy the quarter-final berths in some imagined dream draw is nothing short of ridiculous naiveté. Judging from past world cups, it is safe to say that only half of those powerhouses will survive the round of sixteen.
But exactly who are these unusual suspects? What Davids are there who boast Goliath slaying prowess? Will it be the Czechs, on the back of a strong Euro 04 showing? Will it be Ukraine, led by the inspiring Andreiy Shevchenko? What about Ivory Coast, the strongest of the African nations? Surely, surviving the group of death with Argentina and Holland will be a feat of majestic proportions in its own right. Or Mexico, seeded as a top-8 for their strong performances in qualifying and friendlies? Can Korea repeat its feat of four years old? Or will the Socceroos from Down Under stun both Europe and South America alike? Paraguay? USA? Ghana?
The World Cup is unlikely to fall into the hands of these nations. As much as history favours underdogs for a strong run, that same kind history is also most cruel at the closing stages, and the Big Eight countries have an overwhelmingly superior record in the semi-final stage. But while winning the World Cup may not be the realistic goal, setting the world alight might.
Excitement, romance, thrill, unpredictability, new stars and new dreams… why wouldn’t everyone love an underdog? I guess Chelsea fans wouldn’t. And neither would Brazilians. But for the rest of us, there is an exciting month of upturning tables ahead of us. Even right now, as I look at the names of the 32 countries, a wild thrill fills the pits of my stomach: someone is going to surprise us all BIG TIME – BUT WHO?
Follow the links for other stories in the series.
Case for Europe
Case against Favourites
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