One of football’s most attractive qualities, and something that has endeared it to millions of fans all
over the world, is the unpredictability of outcomes.
A football game is a relatively low scoring event, which means that unlike higher scoring sports, there
is more chance of an upset. Although over the course of a season, the best teams with the most
money will usually prevail, there will be enough upsets along the way to keep everyone interested.
Fans are always on the lookout for opportunities to side with the underdog, and to give you some idea
of how gloriously unpredictable football can be, here are four of the most amazing upsets that have
occurred in the Beautiful Game over the last 30 years.
Denmark v Germany, European Championship, 1992
In the build up to the 1992 European Championship, no one was talking about Denmark. In fact,
anyone looking at the
soccer betting markets in Denmark ahead of the tournament would not even
have seen Denmark’s name in the tournament winner's betting.
Denmark had finished second in their qualifying group behind Yugoslavia. As 1992 was the last
tournament to feature only eight teams, that meant they would not be taking part. However, days
before the competition started, Yugoslavia was banned due to the violence that had erupted in the
Balkans.
The hastily assembled Danish squad had no time to prepare and had to scrap through the Group
stage, drawing with England and losing to Sweden. A narrow win over France took them through to
the semi-finals, where in a thrilling game, they edged out the reigning champions the Netherlands.
Against Germany in the final, Denmark was thought to have little chance. An 18 th minute goal by John
Jensen settled their nerves and with 12 minutes to go, Kim Vilfort scored a second goal to clinch the
game and register one of world football’s biggest shocks.
Real Madrid v Sheriff Tiraspol, Champions League, 2021
The most successful European club side in history, Real Madrid began the Group stage of the 2021-
22 Champions League in good form, earning a valuable 1-0 victory in Milan against Internazionale.
Facing a home tie against Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol in their second game, another win seemed
assured.
Jasurbek Yakhshiboev stunned the home fans by giving Tiraspol the lead on 25 minutes, but when
Karim Benzema equalized from the penalty spot, it seemed inevitable that Madrid would go on to win
the game. The home side, which included global superstars such as Benzema, Eden Hazard, Toni
Kroos and Luka Modric, rained shots on the Tiraspol goal, registering 30 in total to the visitors’ four.
Yet the Moldovan team didn’t wilt, and in the last minute of the game, the ball dropped to Sebastien
Thill on the edge of the Real penalty area and he struck it crisply on the half-volley, sending it into the
top right corner of the net and securing a
win that no one could quite believe.
Greece v Portugal, European Championship, 2004
The European Championships had already produced one famous surprise in 1992 and there was an
even bigger shock just twelve years later at the 2004 tournament.
Greece had only qualified for two previous major tournaments and were regarded as rank outsiders.
Yet, with a game plan based on resolute defending and enterprising counter-attacking, they battled
their way to the Final, knocking out reigning champions France on the way, before beating host nation
Portugal – featuring one Cristiano Ronaldo – in the Final. It was the second time in the tournament
that they had beaten the hosts and their tournament success will go down as one of the biggest
upsets ever.
Leicester City, Premier League, 2016
Upsets in one-off games are one thing, but Leicester City’s
2015-16 campaign took the upset to a new
level. This was a football shock that unfolded slowly but surely over the course of an entire season, to
the amazement of football fans in the UK and around the world.
Leicester had spent five years in the second tier until being promoted to the Premier League in 2014
and had struggled badly in 2014-15, remaining in the relegation zone from early November to mid-
April, before a late season revival took them to safety. No one predicted what came next.
Under new manager Claudio Ranieri, Leicester started the season strongly and spent the first three
months in and around the top three. A poor run of form after Christmas seemed to signal the predicted
slump. But consecutive victories over Liverpool and Manchester City in early February galvanized the
Foxes. Instead, it was their rivals who wilted over the closing weeks of the season as Leicester
strolled to a remarkable Premier League title by 10 points, shocking the football world.