Saudi Arabia and Japan have produced two huge shocks at the 2022 World Cup, with the competition having had a rich history of mega upsets. Down the years, the World Cup has had a habit of throwing up some of the greatest upsets the sport has ever seen, as form, reputation and confidence all go out of the window in an instant, and so-called smaller nations seize their opportunity on the biggest stage.
These are games and moments that have been immortalized and re-lived time and time again, with teams and individual players written into the tournament’s folklore.
Fortune favoured Saudi Arabia soon, as Saleh Alshehri scored between the legs of a diving Cristian Romero and the outstretched left hand of Emiliano to redraw the balance of power almost immediately after the restart. The Saudi Arabia fans rediscovered their voice and the stadium again had a festive buzz. They grew louder as their champion Salem Aldawsari fired an electric arcing effort to the top left corner of Emiliano’s goal in the 53rd minute.
Suddenly, Argentina’s recent form didn’t matter, and a group of elite athletes, for 10 minutes, were left cowering like the helpless Brandyfoots facing the Dweller’s fire.
Germany had the firepower to retaliate, to at least redeem a point. They pressed and passed forward, but withered in the iron-willed resistance of the blue Japanese human wall. They flung their bodies and lunged their boots to keep their date with destiny. And when that historic moment arrived, they slipped into a happy pandemonium. The entire dugout poured onto the ground and piled onto the eleven players. Beside them, the Germans looked forlornly. Memories of the last edition, where they crashed out in the group stage, would have whirled around them.
Whether Germany and Argentina, the finalists of the 2014 World Cup, bounce back or not, the tournament has been lit up by an underdog uprising, the most romantic of World Cup scenarios. While Japan are a more lethal side than Saudi Arabia—Flick had dwelled on Japan’s attacking verve in his pre-game presser—the gulf of quality and fame between them and Germany was as wide as the Persian Gulf. Japan’s most recognised talents are Arsenal’s Takehiro Tomiyasu and ex-Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino, whereas Germany has an assembly of footballers the world covets. But the first round of the World Cup has turned out to be a scourge for the Goliath teams of the world.