Biggest Upsets in International Football This Century
1. Bolivia 6-1 Argentina – 1 April 2009, World Cup qualifier
2. South Korea 2-1 Italy – 18 June 2002, World Cup last 16
3. France 0-1 Senegal – 31 May 2002, World Cup group stage
4. Latvia 0-0 Germany – 19 June 2004, European Championship group stage
5. Portugal 0-1 Greece – 4 July 2004, European Championship final
6. Brazil 0-2 Honduras – 23 July 2001, Copa America quarter-finals
7. England 1-2 Iceland – 28 June 2016, European Championship last 16
8. Germany 0-2 South Korea – 27 June 2018, World Cup group stage
9. Italy 1-1 New Zealand – 20 June 2010, World Cup group stage
10. Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia – 22 November 2022, World Cup group stage
11. Italy 0-1 North Macedonia – 24 March 2022, World Cup qualifying
Introduction
In international football, there are few things more exciting than an upset. From the shock of Brazil’s 7-1 loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup semi-finals to the surprise of Latvia holding Germany to a goalless draw in the 2004 European Championships, upsets have been a part of the game for decades.
In this article, we’ll be looking at some of the biggest upsets in international football this century. We’ll be ranking them in order of the biggest surprise and exploring what made each one so remarkable. So without further ado, let’s get started!
Bolivia 6-1 Argentina – 1 April 2009, World Cup qualifier
This was one of the biggest shocks in South American football history. Underdogs Bolivia were only invited to take part in the 2001 Copa America as last-minute replacements for Argentina, but an own goal from Juliano Belletti and a late effort from Saul Martinez booked the Central Americans’ place in the semi-finals, where they lost 2-0 to hosts – and eventual winners – Colombia.
In this World Cup qualifier, Bolivia put in a stunning performance to beat Argentina 6-1. Joaquin Botero scored a hat-trick, while Marcelo Martins, Didi Torrico and Alex da Rosa also scored in the rout. Angel di Maria’s sending off – seven minutes after coming on as a substitute – capped a miserable day for the Albiceleste.
South Korea 2-1 Italy – 18 June 2002, World Cup last 16
This was one of the biggest shocks of the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan. Co-hosts South Korea produced one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history by knocking much-fancied Italy out of the tournament at the last-16 stage. Christian Vieri put the Azzurri in front after Ahn Jung-hwan had missed a penalty, but Seol Ki-hyeon’s strike sent the game into extra time. Perugia striker Ahn made made amends for his penalty miss with the all-important golden goal, sending Guus Hiddink’s team into the quarter-finals.
Latvia 0-0 Germany – 19 June 2004, European Championship group stage
This was a huge upset for Germany in the 2004 European Championships in Portugal. Germany laboured to a goalless draw against European Championship debutants Latvia in Porto. It could have been worse for Rudi Voller’s side as Maris Verpakovskis had two penalty appeals turned down and had a goal-bound shot saved by Oliver Kahn. Neither team made it out of a group that also featured the Czech Republic and the Netherlands.
Portugal 0-1 Greece – 4 July 2004, European Championship final
This was one of the biggest fairy tales in the history of the game. Otto Rehhagel’s workmanlike Greece side had defied all expectations by reaching the Euro 2004 final, where they faced a Portugal side featuring a young Cristiano Ronaldo. Angelos Charisteas broke the deadlock as Greece – inspired by centre-back Traianos Dellas – kept Ronaldo, Luis Figo and Deco at bay to complete one of the biggest upsets in international football history.
England 1-2 Iceland – 28 June 2016, European Championship last 16
Arguably England’s most humiliating defeat since 1950, when they were beaten by the USA at the World Cup. Wayne Rooney put Roy Hodgson’s team ahead with an early penalty, but goals from Ragnar Sigurdsson and Kolbeinn Sigthorsson sent the Three Lions crashing out of the tournament in France and resulted in Hodgson handing in his resignation.
Germany 0-2 South Korea – 27 June 2018, World Cup group stage
Sixteen years after beating Italy, the Taegeuk Warriors were involved in another monumental World Cup shock in Russia, defeating holders Germany 2-0 to knock Joachim Low’s team out of the competition in the group stage. The game is perhaps best remembered for Son Heung-min’s late second goal, which came after Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer had lost possession inside the opponents’ half. Ju Se-jong released Son, who tapped into an empty net to spark wild celebrations in the South Korea dugout.
Italy 0-1 North Macedonia – 24 March 2022, World Cup qualifying
England beware: this North Macedonian side has claimed some major scalps in recent years. European champions Italy were widely expected to cruise through this first round of the World Cup play-offs and set up a blockbuster match with Portugal for a place in Qatar. Instead, Aleksandar Trajkovski’s sensational 92nd-minute drive from distance damned the Azzurri to a second successive failure to qualify for a World Cup.
Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia – 22 November 2022, World Cup group stage
It all worked out well in the end for Lionel Messi and co., however their triumph in Qatar will always be remembered alongside the immense upset they suffered in their opening fixture. Ranked 51st in the world, Saudi Arabia held on in the first half as Messi scored a penalty before Argentina had three goals ruled out for offside. Then, in a stunning 10 minutes after half-time, Saleh al Shehri and Salem al Dawsari scored to spark the 2022 World Cup into life and cause one of the competition’s greatest upsets.
Conclusion
Upsets are an inevitable part of international football and have been for many years now. From Bolivia’s 6-1 win over Argentina to North Macedonia’s shock win over Italy earlier this year, these results have provided some of the most memorable moments of this century so far.
No matter who you support or who you think will win any given match, it’s always worth remembering that anything can happen on any given day – and that’s what makes international football so exciting!