Footy Factor’s Best of the Decade: Upsets

2010 is on the horizon and it’s safe to say that it’s been a wonderful decade for football. We here at Footy Factor have taken the opportunity to celebrate the greatest teams, players, and matches of the past 10 years. Next up…

Upset of the Decade

Winner: Senegal 1 – France 0 (2002 World Cup, Group Stage).  Some punters must have made a killing on this World Cup curtain-raiser, which was billed as a cakewalk for the defending champions. But it turned out their African opponents had other ideas. Senegal ’s El Hadji Diouf and Pape Bouba Diop harassed Les Bleus the entire game, forcing the crucial mistake that led to the decisive goal and 60 million “merdes!” back in France . The matchup followed the David and Goliath script almost perfectly.  Here was a team full of privileged stars, culled from the finest clubs in Europe , succumbing to a group of players with minimal international experience who were representing their country’s first appearance at the tournament. The encounter had socio-political undertones too. After all, France was once a colonial power in Senegal – and that ignominious history was on full display on the field with Patrick Vieira, perhaps the best player to ever be born in Senegal, suiting up for France.  But ultimately, you can measure the shock of this upset by its immediate aftermath. Buoyed by their victory, Senegal would make a trip all the way to the quarterfinals – while the French, their confidence in tatters, would exit the group stages in shame without scoring a single goal.

Runners Up: Greece 1 – Portugal 0 (Euro 2004, Final) On paper, Greece’s incredible feat of winning Euro 2004 would have earned them the top spot, but we can’t look past some of the austere performances they churned out to get into the final. Although if that’s what it takes to produce the most unlikely winners of any major tournament in history, then so be it. Porto v Manchester United (2004 Champions League, 1st Knockout Round) Sir Alex Ferguson’s nose has never been brighter after midfielder Costinha scored a last-gasp goal at Old Trafford to send Porto through on aggregate and then-coach Jose Mourinho dancing all the way down the touchline.  In a couple of months, Porto would become champions and Mourinho would anoint himself as the “Special One.”