Famous World Cup humiliations
As World Cup hosts, Brazil could be forgiven for struggling to handle the weight of expectation placed on their shoulders in Tuesday's semi-final.
However, few would have predicted a remarkable first-half collapse against Germany.
Joachim Low's side scored five goals in just 18 minutes on the way to securing a 7-1 win, silencing the Belo Horizonte crowd and ended Brazilian hopes of lifting the trophy for a sixth time.
That said, Luiz Felipe Scolari's Selecao are far from the first side to endure the disgrace of a thrashing at international football's most prestigious event.
However, few would have predicted a remarkable first-half collapse against Germany.
Joachim Low's side scored five goals in just 18 minutes on the way to securing a 7-1 win, silencing the Belo Horizonte crowd and ended Brazilian hopes of lifting the trophy for a sixth time.
That said, Luiz Felipe Scolari's Selecao are far from the first side to endure the disgrace of a thrashing at international football's most prestigious event.
| Germany 8-0 Saudi Arabia, 2002 |
Germany recorded their biggest ever World Cup win with an 8-0 thumping of a desperately poor Saudi Arabia. Miroslav Klose scored a hat-trick, as Michael Ballack, Carsten Jancker, Thomas Linke, Oliver Bierhoff and Bernd Schneider all joined in the rout. Germany had 15 shots on target; their opponents had none.
The defeat set the tone for both teams’ tournaments, as Rudi Voller's
side went on to be beaten 2-0 in the final by Brazil and the Saudis
exited at the group stages after losing to Cameroon and the Republic of
Ireland.
The 8-0 scoreline represented the worst loss by a team in the World
Cup since 1982 and the largest margin of defeat without scoring a goal
since 1974.
Saudi Arabia’s -12 goal difference was the third worst goal in World
Cup history, equalling El Salvador’s showing in 1982. Head coach Nasser
Al Johar was sacked following the tournament while the Green Falcons
have yet to qualify for another tournament since.
| Hungary 8-3 West Germany, 1954 |
From 1950, Hungary boss Gusztav Sebes instilled a ruthless streak in
the Magyar's game. Their attacking 3-2-1-4 formation saw them play 50
games between 1950 and 1956, winning 42, drawing 7 and losing just once.
Hungary had begun their World Cup campaign in Switzerland with a 9-0
defeat of South Korea and found West Germany barely more of a contest in
their second game.
The Mighty Magyars lived up to their formidable reputation by
thrashing an admittedly unseeded and weakened West German side. Sandor
Kocsis scored four, ending the World Cup as top scorer with eleven,
Nandor Hidegkuti got two and Ferenc Puskas and Jozsef Toth added the
remainder.
Hungary have long held a place in the pantheon of the greatest teams
to ever play the game and demonstrated that in Switzerland, only
blemishing that impression with a defeat in the final to the previously
vanquished West Germany.
| West Germany 6-1 Austria, 1954 |
After wobbling against Hungary, West Germany only managed to escape the group stages after a 7-2 play-off win over Turkey. However, Sepp Herberger’s side had apparently been rejuvenated after their earlier humiliation.
Following a 2-0 defeat of Yugoslavia 2-0 in the quarter-finals, the
West Germans turned their attention to their neighbours Austria and
dished out an impressive display. Inspired by Max Morlock, they
completed a reversal in fortunes by scoring six with Hans Schafer,
Ottmar Walter, two penalties from Fritz Walter and one from Morlock
himself.
They progressed to the final where it appeared that the Hungarians
were an unstoppable force en route to the Jules Rimet trophy. However,
West Germany triumphed against their illustrious opponents, despite
being 2-0 down after only eight minutes. The ‘Miracle of Bern’ as the
game came to be known saw a historic 3-2 turnaround as the West Germans
won their first ever World Cup.
| Yugoslavia 9-0 Zaire, 1974 |
Zaire entered the World Cup in West Germany with high hopes. Promoted
and bankrolled by Zairean dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, the Leopards were
African Cup of Nations champions and the first sub-Saharan side to make
it to the prestigious arena of the World Cup.
However, after an opening 2-0 defeat to Scotland, Zaire conspired to
put in an awful display. 3-0 down after less than 20 minutes, an ignoble
loss was likely to be on the cards. Dusan Bajevic starred as he grabbed
three goals for the Blues and consigned the team coached by his fellow
countryman, Blagoje Vidinic, to a heavy loss in Gelsenkirchen.
Zaire’s miserable tournament was brought to an end after a 3-0 defeat
to Brazil, leaving them without a point, without a goal and a goal
difference of -14, an all-time low that only South Korea’s -16 in 1954
have managed to do worse than. Zaire’s 1974 remains a low point for
African football in the tournament.
| Argentina 6-0 Peru, 1978 |
On the face of it, Argentina’s 6-0 thumping of Peru in 1978 could be
heralded as one of the most incredible results in the tournament’s
history. The reality, however, was considerably murkier.
The Peruvians were reigning Copa America champions and the Albiceleste
needed an improbable 4-0 win to reach a World Cup final on home soil.
The second-round game in Rosario saw them surpass even that milestone.
Mario Kempes and Leopoldo Luque scored twice and Alberto Tarantini and
Rene Houseman grabbed one each as the South Americans sealed a
miraculous victory on the way to defeating the Netherlands in the final.
Far from being regarded as a humbling defeat, the game is a far more
serious humiliation amid accusations that Argentinian dictator Jorge
Videla and Peru’s then-president Francisco Bermudez had struck a deal.
The game has been mired in controversy ever since, considered by some as
the World Cup’s biggest ever fix.
source: http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/3841/world-cup-2014/2014/07/08/4945798/just-like-watching-brazil-famous-world-cup-humiliations?ICID=HP_FT_18
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