Football has always been a game of uncertainty and this is one reason what makes the game so beautiful and 2014 FIFA World Cup have been no different. The World Cup witnessed some great upsets which ultimately resulted in underdogs staying in the tournament and many favorites bidding goodbye to the tournament.Here are the top 5 upsets which happened this World Cup.DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in the article are that of the author's and do not necessarily reflect that of Sportskeeda.
#5 Spain vs Netherlands
Trending
Spain 1- 5 Netherlands
The first game of the tournament and the defending champions facing the 15th ranked team in the world. What a spectacle!
La Furia Roja wanted an encore of the 2010 World Cup final, while runner-up Netherlands wanted nothing but revenge. Spain started their campaign in their usual fashion, taking the lead when Xabi Alonso netted home a penalty but after that it was a one way street as the Oranje made one of the best comebacks ever.
Netherlands captain Robin van Persie scored a header which will remain etched in memories now for time immemorial while Robben showed his class as a front man. The Dutch took their revenge and in such a manner that they netted 5 and made sure that the 2010 champions’ job of advancing to the next round became a mountain to climb.
#4 Colombia vs Uruguay
Colombia 2-0 Uruguay
It was a Round of 16 match and Uruguay were again without their star striker Luis Suarez who was banned after he bit an Italian player and his absence haunted Uruguay in a knock-out game.
It would have been unfair to take away anything from the Colombian team since they were also playing without their star striker Radamel Falcao, but his absence saw the emergence of another future star in James Rodriguez who not only scored one of the best goals of the World Cup, but saw his name getting written in the list of future stars of the game as Colombia edged Uruguay 2-0 to advance into the next round.
#3 Uruguay vs Costa Rica
Uruguay 1- 3 Costa Rica
Nobody would have expected Costa Rica to beat Uruguay in spite of missing their hitman Luis Suarez, and it looked like that those who had bet their money on Uruguay would go back home few dollars rich after Edison Cavani made full use of a penalty kick to put the former champions ahead, but not many would have expected the Costa Ricans to make a comeback and take a lead so huge that the Uruguayans certainly would have no chance whatsoever to even draw level, let alone win the match.
After Joe Campbell brought his team back into the match, a fantastic save by Keylor Navas and goals by Oscar Duarte and Marco Urena made sure that La Seles bag the all important three points.
It was after this match that few days later the La Seles scripted another upset when they defeated Italy.
#2 Italy vs Costa Rica
Italy 0-1 Costa Rica
After Costa Rica had defeated Uruguay, many takers would have thought the win to be a fluke but La Seles proved that they were here in the tournament to play and win, and they proved it when they defeated Italy 0-1.
Costa Ricans never gave up even after their striker Joe Campbell was denied a penalty as captain Bryan Ruiz header sealed the issue.
The match had its effect on other teams as well as England were eliminated and Italy and Uruguay were set to face each other for a ‘do or die’ match. Costa Rica continued their amazing display of football and went till the quarter-finals. What made them exceptional to watch was their ‘never give up’ attitude which made them one of the most loved and watched teams in the tourney.
#1 Spain vs Chile
Spain 0-2 Chile
Spain had faced a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Dutch and they had to win at all costs against Chile to stay in the tournament.
While many pundits backed the defending champions to win against Chile despite the latter being no pushovers, the South Americans showed that they were not in the tournament just to make up numbers as they disposed off Spain not only from the match, but also from the tournament.
Goals from Eduardo Vargas and Charles Aranguiz helped the Chileans proceed to the next round.
