Monday, June 28, 2010
Biggest Upsets of the FIFA World Cup 2010
With 2010 World Cup soccer nearing its close, it is of interest to note some of the major upsets that occurred during the FIFA Cup in South Africa.
As with any sports competition, World Cup soccer has provided its share of unexpected moments. Despite the expert predictions and analytic odds, human error or excellence, depending on how one looks at it, occurred and surprised the masses.
Switzerland and Spain in the 2010 World Cup
Early on in the World Cup competition, Spain met Switzerland in a game Spain was set to win. In fact, any sports expert asked, picked Spain to win, undoubtedly. At game play time, Spain had lost only one game in their last 48 while Switzerland had lost 15 or their previous 18 games.
Even though Spain, deemed the "pass masters" managed to possess, shoot, and corner the ball with the precision they are known for, the team was unable to put the ball in the net and score. The favorite to beat every team in Group H, Spain was unexpectedly defeated by the Swiss underdogs on Wednesday, June 16, 2010. This defeat may just be the biggest shock of the entire World Cup tournament.
France vs. Mexico and South Africa
After finishing their first game of the World Cup in a 0-0 draw with Uruguay, 2006 World Cup runners up, France needed to win against one of its next two opponents. With critics constantly pointing out Coach Raymond Domenech's unconventional way of using astrologists to choose lineups, the team may have been doomed from the start. In their second World Cup match against Mexico, France was dominated when players Javier Hernandez and Cuauhtémoc Blanco scored back to back goals bringing Mexico to a 2-0 victory.
With their star striker, Nicolas Anelka, sent home after a verbal altercation with Coach Domenech, France's next defeat would come at the hands of the Bafana Bafana of South Africa. While France was able to get one goal in, South Africa rose to a 2-1 victory, putting an abrupt end to France's chance at a 2010 World Cup championship.
2006 World Cup Champions - Italy
After winning the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the Italian team came into the 2010 soccer tournament as reigning champs. Ranked in the top ten teams with the potential to be World Cup winners by Fox Sports, Italy entered the tournament as leaders. Drawn in Group F along side Slovakia, New Zealand, and Paraguay, Italy was set to compete in the easiest group of the tournament.
Although they dominated parts of the second half of their first match of the World Cup against Paraguay, Italy still only managed to come up with draw at a score of 1-1. The second game for the Italians played out much the same way as New Zealand took an early lead in the first half to be tied up in the second for a final score of 1-1. In their final qualifying match against Slovakia, who were playing at the cup for the first time as a independent nation, Italy lost 3-2 and finished World Cup 2010 in South Africa with zero wins.
With all these upsets, it was undoubtedly the time for African teams to shine at her first World Cup. Seeing major big guns in association football fall, it would have been a thing of joy if other African teams capitalized. But be as it may, Only Ghana did now fly the flag of the whole continent.
As for the other African teams, "They didn't come to the party".
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