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Amazing FIFA World Cup Underdog Stories

The World Cup in Qatar proved to be a huge success, with Argentina, one of the pre-tournament favourites running out as the eventual winners. But while you couldn’t necessarily describe Argentina and the mercurial Lionel Messi as underdogs, there were tales of the underdog born in Qatar to go alongside the others from years gone by. So, in spite of the negativity that was at the start of the competition, especially on what was allowed by visiting fans, it was still possible to take advantage any of the unexpected results by betting on the matches and even staying on to enjoy football-themed slots games at licensed online casinos.

Saudi Arabia Defeat Eventual Winners Argentina

There’s no better place to start than with the Qatar 2022 World Cup and when Saudia Arabia, a minnow on the international football scene, pulled off the impossible and defeated a star-studded Argentina, with the latter going on to win the tournament. And not only did they win the game 2-1 after a resolute display, but they did so by coming from behind in the opening game in Group C. The Saudis celebrated for days, proving what people deem impossible is possible, with their surprise win over Argentina. 

New Zealand Go Undefeated 

New Zealand is a nation that loves its football, but on the international stage, like Saudi Arabia, they’re deemed as minnows. In 2010, New Zealand managed to secure a place at the World Cup finals for only the second time in their history, with Ryan Nelson, then of Blackburn, starring. They were drawn in a tough group and expected to lose every game. But, while they didn’t win a game, they didn’t lose either and were the only team at the tournament to have an unbeaten record.

Senegal’s World Cup Finals Debut Shocks The Everyone

The main talking point during and post-2002 World Cup finals was Senegal. The African nation was making their debut at a World Cup finals and had to contend with 1998 champions France in the group stage. But, remarkably, Senegal defeated France and did enough in the group and beyond to make it as far as the quarter-finals before losing narrowly to Turkey. Due to their performances, many stars of the Senegal team earned big moves after the World Cup. Salif Diao and El Hadji Diouf both ended up making the switch to Liverpool, fashioning careers for themselves in the English Premier League.

Third Place For Croatia’s Bow As An Independent Country

Croatia headed to the France 1998 World Cup finals operating as an independent nation at an international football tournament for the first time, which was undoubtedly a big deal. And as a result, many were hoping they could pull off the unimaginable and progress to the latter stages. Things looked tricky as Croatia’s group contained Argentina, Jamaica and Japan. But Croatia attacked the group stage well and romped as far as the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual winners France. Croatia immediately put that disappointment behind them to take on the Netherlands in the third place playoff, a game they won, and one Davor Suker scored in. He was the tournament’s top scorer, which was a feat in itself.

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