Every World Cup has been won by one of the strongest, if not the strongest, teams of all time. And if a champion makes it to the end of the tournament, the report card will certainly shine, especially when it comes to the knockout rounds, which means all (including penalty shootouts), because a loss means an early exit. But in the group stage, the team that wins the World Cup is likely to have some trouble or setbacks, and we have a built-in understanding that the team that wins the World Cup should not be beaten by other teams; but there are five teams in the history of the World Cup that have beaten the eventual winner in the group stage. France Ligue 1.Here's a look at the five teams in chronological order.
5. Saudi for the 2022 World Cup
The Qatar World Cup is the most recent World Cup. Everyone still has a very clear impression. Argentina won the title for the third time in history. But it wasn't easy for Argentina in the group stage. They stumbled in their first match. They were defeated by Saudi Arabia, one of the World Cup's most famous underdogs.
Argentina scored first in the game and, perhaps after taking the lead, Saudi Arabia quickly turned the game around with two spectacular goals to beat Argentina 2-1. It was one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.
Of course, on the back of the thing we also know, Argentina, after the shame of courage, instant adjustment mentality, achieved the great title. And Saudi Arabia, after such a spectacular upset, is still not out of the race.
4. Switzerland in the 2010 World Cup
Like Argentina in Qatar, Spain, winners of the World Cup in South Africa, also stumbled in their opening group game. In the face of tenacious Switzerland, Spain could not attack for a long time, but was the other side sneak into the goal, 1-0 defeat. It was precisely because of this defeat that Spain immediately adopted a safe and conservative style of play, using their excellent possession to form a combination of attack and defence, and won the hard-won title with four 1-0 knockout matches.
Switzerland, like Saudi Arabia at the Qatar World Cup, had a brilliant record of beating the champions, but did not play well afterwards and went out of the group.
Italy at the 1978 World Cup
Although Argentina won the 1978 World Cup at home, objectively speaking, their strength is not the top. They lost 1-0 to Italy in the group stage.
Fortunately, Argentina played well later in the game, and Peru gave them a timely 6-0 victory. Argentina won the trophy for the first time, beating the Netherlands 3-1 in the final.
As for Italy, they did well too, reaching the final four and finishing fourth. This is, of course, due to their profound heritage and strong strength. Compared to Saudi Arabia beating Argentina and Switzerland beating Spain, Italy beating Argentina in the group stage is a normal category.
Ii. East Germany in the 1974 World Cup
At the time, West Germany lost 1-0 to East Germany in the group stage, but judging by the progress of the game, West Germany lost this game somewhat to pick a rematch opponent. Indeed, West Germany's opponents in the rematch group were much weaker than East Germany's, so their journey to the final looked easier.
East Germany, on the other hand, faced Brazil, the Netherlands and Argentina in the rematch, which was definitely a desperate group. In the end, East Germany finished bottom with only one point from three games. In terms of performance, they are the top eight.
1. Hungary in the 1954 World Cup
Of the five teams that have beaten the eventual winners in the group stage, Hungary is by far the most exceptional. If it was somewhat surprising that the other four teams had beaten the champions, Hungary's defeat of the eventual champions, Germany, was perfectly normal, albeit by an exaggerated score of 8-3.
Hungary, at the time, was the best team in the world, so don't add one. At that World Cup, Hungary was considered the favorite to win. Germany, whom they defeated in the group stage, was much more low-key. We all know the story of the final, the Bern miracle. It was a miracle because Germany was not as strong as Hungary. Yes, there was an element of Germany putting up smoke and mirrors in that 8-3 game, but objectively speaking, even if Germany were at their best, they still fell short of Hungary.
But history will remember only the winners, and Hungary, which could have ushered in a golden age at the World Cup, became the backdrop to the Bern miracle.
The final results of these 5 teams are group elimination, group elimination, the final eight, the final four, the runner-up. So, for the World Cup winners, if the group play is not good, they can beat their team, maybe from all levels. However, from another point of view, the champion can become a champion, because of a strong ability to adjust, so, although the 5 teams beat the champion, but also objectively become the champion to reverse the situation and finally achieve great achievements of the footnote.