5 Biggest Surprises in 2014 World Cup Qualifiers
France- "Headless Chicken"
Nobody expected the French to appear in next year's event after a humiliating 2-0 defeat against Ukraine at the first leg of the World Cup Qualifying Playoff. Playing away against one of the most successful defensive teams, Les Bleus seemed to have lost its path on offense and were shredded into pieces in Kiev. Even their notorious proud supporters had given up. According to a post-match poll conducted by Le Parisien, nearly 90 percent of French responders answered that they have lost their hopes for Les Bleus’ chance to make the World Cup.
All that negativity cleared when France pulled off a convincing 3-0 victory in front of the home crowd on Tuesday, crushing the dreams of the hopeful Ukrainians with a one-goal margin in the aggregate score. The Frenchmen’s miraculous 180-degree turn rewrote World Cup qualifying history, as they became the first team to recover from a 2-0 deficit in the first leg. To have successfully fought back when nothing was going its way, France showed its underlying power when it actually plays as a team. However, Les Bleus still have a lot of adjustments to make if they want to take home some silverware next summer.
Uruguay- "Sinking Galleon"
As a team that made it to the semifinals in South Africa 2010 and won the Copa America in 2011, Uruguay surprisingly experienced a bumpy path to book a spot in the cup. Everything started off great until it faced a year-long winless streak in South American World Cup qualifiers. Finishing fifth in CONMEBOL, it had to defeat Jordan in a playoff to qualify, with one of those games ending in a scoreless draw against a team ranked more than 70 places below them.
Jordan- "Middle-Eastern Dark Horse"
Although Jordan did not qualify after losing 5-0 and drawing 0-0 against Uruguay in the qualifying playoff, it has impressed the world as a dark horse out of Asia. Ranked 83rd by FIFA, Jordan was, for many, not even close to the list of potentially qualifying nations, until it began causing a series of setbacks in the AFC. The squad stunned Australia and Japan on its home turf, as King Abdullah Stadium quickly gained a reputation as one of Asia's toughest venues to play at.
Jordan ultimately advanced into the intercontinental playoff after defeating Uzbekistan in a penalty shootout. Despite its loss against Uruguay, Jordan’s journey has delivered a message loud and clear–winning does not require world-class players- it only takes a cohesive unit playing simple, yet direct football. Considering the team’s performance, if Jordan was to play New Zealand in the playoff instead, it could have made its first World Cup appearance.
Taking into account that the Red Devils haven’t appeared in any world-class events since 2002, Belgium qualifying the third-fastest in Europe for the World Cup is certainly a huge deal. Especially when the team sailed its way through the qualifiers undefeated against tough competitors such as Croatia, Serbia and Wales.
For Belgium’s success, one must tip his hat off to the growth of the nation’s football over the past years. Over the last four years, a wide array of promising youngsters emerged from Belgium, including Eden Hazard, Jan Vertonghen, Romelu Lukaku and many more. As most of the players became the cornerstones for some of the best club teams in the world, Belgian football has finally declared its comeback after years of rolling around in the slump. The Belges can now add its football to the shortlist of Belgian pride, along with its beer, waffles and mussels.
Costa Rica- "No Complacency"
Costa Rica has not had a huge breakthrough at the international level, but it managed to qualify for the Wold Cup with the least conceded goals among teams in Northern and Central America. Because the country wasn’t able to participate in the previous cup, nobody thought of Costa Rica as a potential candidate. However, after qualifying second in the CONCACAF only four points behind the U.S., Costa Rica has to be taken seriously.
The team now looks more alive than ever as its younger talents began to mature. Joel Campbell, a 21-year old striker signed by Arsenal, sprung out and gained the full approval from the manager after netting three goals during the qualifiers, one of which was scored during Costa Rica’s 3-1 triumph over U.S. He was also nominated as one of the Top 20 breakout stars in World Cup 2014. According to Dan Colasimone, a featured columnist at Bleacher Report, “Campbell can turn a game with a moment of brilliance.” Costa Rica’s qualification may be a surprise, but it is a team to keep an eye on, especially because it has the potential to upset good teams like it did against Mexico and the U.S.
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