The countdown to the greatest soccer spectacle continues. Between 20th November and 18th December, football fans around the globe will be setting their sights firmly on Qatar, as the 2022 FIFA World Cup edges ever closer. Now less than a month away, the tournament itself is inevitably filling millions of eager fans with nostalgia, bringing back memories of outstanding achievements and more than a few surprising outcomes.
As the sense of excitement and anticipation builds, the official 2022 FIFA World Cup website has been treating fans to a special series of recollections, fondly remembering iconic moments from previous tournaments. These include some of the biggest shocks that ever graced the beautiful game, true David versus Goliath encounters, when giants of the global game were surprisingly felled by the most courageous of minnows.
Such occurrences may be few and far between in World Cup history, although they are part of what encourages people to wager on the outcome of games, as the potential for upsets will always exist. Aiming to inform and educate readers of all the betting options available, Asiabet has produced a full guide covering the 2022 FIFA World Cup schedule, known in Vietnamese as Lịch thi đấu World Cup 2022, amongst other languages of the region, allowing readers to find information they can easily understand.
As we seek out the most competitive odds and the best promotions available, many of us will inevitably pondering which games are likely to provide the biggest upsets. Making such predictions is never easy, of course, yet we do have some interesting precedents from previous World Cup tournaments, leading us to fondly remember some of the most surprising results from the past.
In one of the most recent recollections published by the FIFA World Cup website, 39 days ahead of the 2022 tournament in Qatar commencing, our memories are drawn back in time towards one of the most surprising results in World Cup history. Italy was the tournament host in 1990 and in the very first game, after the opening ceremony, fans were treated to a spectacular upset.
Nobody gave African side Cameroon much of a chance against Argentina, the reigning champions from the previous 1986 World Cup, and a side which still featured the iconic figure of Diego Maradona in their side. But even though he was easily the best footballer in the world, neither Maradona nor his team were prepared for what was about to happen.
That’s because Argentina probably underestimated Cameroon, the African team that eventually humbled the World Cup holders at the San Siro stadium in Milan. This was a day when the Indomitable Lions genuinely earned their nickname, frustrating Maradona and his Albiceleste companions at every turn on the pitch, on the way to a memorable victory that would turn their largely unknown squad of players into household names.
After holding their illustrious opposition at bay for more than an hour, enduring wave after wave of Argentina attacking move, Cameroon were reduced to ten men when André Kana-Biyik was dismissed for a nasty foul. But much to the amazement of everyone watching, just several moments later, his brother François Omam-Biyik fired them into the lead. Remarkably, the stubborn resolve held out, even when reduced to nine men towards the end.
Cameroon had registered one of the biggest upsets on the biggest stage, and their story at the 1990 World Cup in Italy wouldn’t end there. Veteran forward Roger Milla became a household name celebrating his every goal by dancing at the corner flag, as the Indomitable Lions topped their group, then eliminated Colombia in the Round of 16, before finally falling 3-2 against England in the Quarter-Finals after extra time.
The legacy of their amazing World Cup run will stand the test of time, giving hope to any side considered to be underdogs heading into tournaments, providing valuable inspiration that upsets and surprise results are always possible. Hopefully the memory of Cameroon will be invoked at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and if not by the same nation themselves, then one of the other lesser fancied sides. The lesson here is that no side should ever be taken for granted.