The most surprising upsets in football history – and what we can learn from them

In every big tournament in the sport, there are bound to be some upsets that will leave jaws on the floor. But some upsets are much bigger than the others, and we’ll be looking at three of them today and what we can learn from them.

1. Argentina v Saudi Arabia, 2022 World Cup

Going into the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Argentina were one of the favorites to go all the way and win the whole thing. They hadn’t lost a single game in three years and were crowned South American champions the previous year, so ahead of their opening fixture against Saudi Arabia, it wasn’t a question of if Messi and his teammates would win, it was a question of “by how many?”

After Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the spot in the 10th minute, it felt like Saudi Arabia’s fate was already sealed. Argentina will surely now walk all over them. I mean, the Albiceleste had never lost a World Cup game after scoring first in 64 years and they hadn’t lost a World Cup game when they were leading at halftime since the first ever World Cup 92 years prior. 

So, absolutely nobody gave Saudi Arabia a chance. Not a single soul. But the Middle Eastern nation somehow managed to come roaring in the second half. They shockingly came from behind to turn the game around and secure a very vital 3 points. They scored in the 48th and 53rd minutes to secure a 2-1 win over eventual winners Argentina and pull off one of the greatest upsets in FIFA World Cup history.

That day, the football betting sites in Argentina went absolutely crazy. The few betting experts and enthusiasts who were brave enough to bet against Argentina that day were some of the happiest people in the world.

This particular match taught us that there are never any easy games at the World Cup. It also taught us that, in order to win big, you have to be ready to face big giants and take big risks, whether you are the one on the pitch or you’re the one betting on those on the pitch.

2. Man City v Wigan, 2013 FA Cup final

The 2013 FA Cup final was supposed to be straightforward. Wigan were destined for relegation from the Premier League while Man City were second on the table. Everyone expected the Premier League champions from the previous season to get past Wigan rather easily. And history was on Man City’s side. They had beaten Wigan in each of their last 7 league meetings, so this was supposed to be comfortable, but the game ended up being the biggest shock in the history of FA Cup finals.

City had superstars like Sergio Agüero, Carlos Tevez, Samir Nasri, David Silva, and Yaya Touré, but Wigan managed to keep them quiet for 90 minutes. Then in the 1st minute of additional time, when everyone was preparing for extra time, Ben Watson snatched the winner with a header from a corner, and that was the game!

It was the most shocking result ever. With that result, Wigan Athletic became the first club to ever win the FA Cup and get relegated from the Premier League in the same season. And despite having been relegated, they ended up playing in the UEFA Europa League the following season.

From this game, we learned that finals are always unpredictable and are anyone’s game. Your form does not always matter in one-off finals, so no matter how bad you have been all season, if you have the heart and the courage, you could definitely be the David that goes on to kill the Goliath.

3. Leicester City, Premier League 2015-16 season

This particular upset was not just one game, it was a full season, and that made it a whole lot more impressive. Leicester City had just gained promotion back to the Premier League in the 2014-15 season and had finished 14th on the table that season, so absolutely nobody gave them a chance going into the 2015-16 season.

At the beginning of that season, bookmakers gave the Foxes 5000/1 odds to become Premier League champions. Yes, that was how written off they were. They were not even in the conversation at all, but somehow, they managed to beat all odds to conquer one of the toughest leagues in the world, with Spurs, Arsenal, and Manchester City making up the rest of the top 4.

Leicester City players dominated the awards that year. Jamie Vardy was named FWA Footballer of the Year and Premier League Player of the Season, Riyad Mahrez was named PFA Players’ Player of the Year, while the coach Claudio Ranieri was named Premier League Manager of the Season.

Till date, many fans and journalists consider that the greatest shock in football history and it is hard to argue against that.

You see, it is one thing to pull off an upset in one game and win a one-off final, but to do it over the course of a whole season? That is just absolutely incredible. What else is there to learn from this other than absolutely anything can happen in this beautiful game of football?