Cape Verde’s memorable World Cup debut in holding European champions Spain to a 0-0 draw on Monday is one of the great upsets in the tournament’s history.
AFP Sports picks out four upsets prior to the the side from the tiny volcanic archipelago of just 525,000 people proving more than a match for a football superpower:
United States v England — 1950
The US coach said his team were like “sheep ready to be slaughtered” as they prepared to face an England team labelled at the time ‘The Kings of Football’.
However, the Americans, a mix of teachers, dishwashers and other professions, captained by a Scot, Edward McIlvenny played more like wolves than sheep in the match in Brazil.
The decisive goal was scored by Haiti-born Joe Gaetjens, who like McIlvenny was permitted to play because both of them had stated their intention to become US citizens.
Gaetjens returned home, he played one more match for Haiti, but fell foul of the ‘Papa Doc’ Duvalier regime and is widely believed to have been tortured and murdered by the feared Tonton Macoutes in 1964.
The match — a result then English Football League supremo Arthur Drewry said was “unbelievable” — has been immortalised in a book ‘The Game of Their Lives’ and turned into a film.
North Korea v Italy — 1966
North Korean football fans could be forgiven for recalling the 1966 tournament with as much pride as tournament hosts and eventual winners England.
Having secured their place in England on the back of a play-off win over Australia the expectation was they would be fodder for the Soviet Union, Italy and Chile.
They were having none of that and came into the final group game, after drawing with Chile following a loss to the Soviets, still hoping to reach the quarter-finals.
Italy had a side that comprised the likes of Giacinto Facchetti, Sandro Mazzola and Gianni Rivera but Middlebrough’s Ayresome Park proved to be their graveyard.
Pak Doo-ik fired home the only goal in the 42nd minute — the Koreans momentum carried on leading Portugal 3-0 in the last eight only for Eusebio to inspire a fightback and a 5-3 final score.
Pak returned to Middlesbrough in 2002, and though, Ayresome Park had been demolished and a housing estate replaced it, his moment of glory had been recognised in one of the house’s gardens with a pair of boots on the spot from where he scored.
“It was the day I learnt football is not all about winning,” he said of that memorable day.
“I learnt that playing football can improve diplomatic relations and promote peace.”
Senegal v France — 2002
France captain Marcel Desailly had talked of a “dream final” featuring the defending champions and Argentina — however Senegal were to give him a rude awakening in the opening match in Seoul.
The Senegalese lived up to their nom de guerre The Teranga Lions against a France side missing the heartbeat of the team an injured Zinedine Zidane.
A Papa Bouba Diop goal — set up by the livewire El Hadji Diouf — proved the difference against a team that still boasted several of the players from the 1998 World Cup winning side.
Senegal stood firm despite waves of attacks keeping to their charismatic long-haired French coach Bruno Metsu’s gameplan.
Senegal were to reach the quarter-finals and a humiliated French outfit returned home after the group stage.
“It was the performance we all dreamt and thought about, and we went out there and made it happen,” said Metsu, who died aged just 59 in 2013.
Saudi Arabia v Argentina — 2022
Many of the Argentina side had not been born when Cameroon humbled their compatriots and defending champions in Italy in 1990.
By the time they trudged off the pitch in Qatar, on the wrong end of a 2-1 defeat, they would have sympathised with how they felt.
Salem al-Dawsari’s spectacular goal sealed victory.
“Today all the stars in the sky were in a line for us …….this is football. Sometimes something completely crazy can happen,” said Saudi’s French coach Herve Renard, whose side failed to replicate the performance and exited in the group stage.
Argentina like their 1990 predecessors rebounded to reach the final.
However whilst the brutal 1990 side — with a fading Diego Maradona — fell short, the 2022 team delivered Lionel Messi the one winners medal missing from his CV.
AFP
