10 embarrassing football defeats of the decade (2010-2019)
The worst feeling you get as a football fan is losing. But that usually lasts a day or two. But when it's a good old beat-down, then it forms a scar in your memory. No matter how star-studded a team is, a club is always susceptible to a humiliating loss.
In the last few years, we have seen several matches, where two huge teams face-off, with the fans expecting a close contest but it only results in a very one-sided affair no-one expected.
The other side of the spectrum is, big teams, being embarrassed by minnows sometimes even by an unreal score. It's safe to say, losing both ways is an ugly and unwanted trauma no manager would want to go through.
So here are the worst defeats in football in the last decade.
10. Lincoln Red Imps 1-0 Celtic
Have you ever heard of a team called the Lincoln Red Imps? They recently gained notoriety after a momentous conquest over Scottish giants Celtic. The team from Gibraltar shocked the world after their win in the qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League
Why was this such a big deal? Well, the team consisted of players who had daytime jobs. They had a taxi driver, a policeman, and a fireman. One of them had just completed his shift driving his cab and then showed up for the game.
Not how Brendan Rodgers imagined his debut would be, but it was a harsh lesson learnt for him and his team. The return leg was much more straightforward as Celtic romped home to a 3-0 victory.
9. Netherlands 5-1 Spain
As far as international humiliation go this one probably ranks up very high on the all-time list. For six years, La Furia Roja were the team to beat in world football, conquering everything possible in that period.
It started with a 1-0 victory over Germany in 2008 that gave them the European Championship trophy. Next, it was World Cup 2010 followed by another European Championship in 2012.
So in 2014, they arrived in Brazil as one of the favourites for the tournament. But they had one of their worst outings in a major tournament in their history. Spain's first game was against the Netherlands, and at the end of the game, many fans were left in shock.
When Xabi Alonso opened the scoring, it looked like another day in the office. Still, things changed dramatically before half time when Robin van Persie planted an incredible header into the back of the net.
The second half was in no way a close contest as the Dutch added four more to the scoresheet with Arjen Robben playing a starring role. That game probably marked the end of Iker Casillas' international career, and they exited the tournament in the group stages.
8. Real Madrid 5-0 Bayern Munich (On aggregate)
The Champions League is a tournament that pits the best teams in Europe against each other. It makes for some brilliant contests and tactical battles. The best players and managers are on show and the atmosphere on a Champions League night is probably unmatchable by any other occasion.
But that doesn't mean there won't be big upsets. There have been many big scoring games between two giants, and this two-legged tie was no exception. In 2014, Real Madrid hammered the German giants 4-0 in their backyard in the first leg.
In the second leg, it was a slender 1-0 victory, but the damage both mental and physical had been done at the Allianz Arena. This was Bayern's worst-ever defeat in the competition equalling the 4-0 loss they suffered to Barcelona in 2009.
Pep Guardiola has an abysmal record as a Bayern manager in the Champions League. The Spaniard lost all three semi-finals in the competition to Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in three successive years.
7. Stoke City 6-1 Liverpool
The season after the Reds came so close to winning the title was probably one of the worst they have endured in recent times. Luis Suarez had left the club for Barcelona and Rodgers had not invested very cleverly in the market.
Steven Gerrard also decided it was time to end his Liverpool career and would play his last ever game in a Red shirt against Stoke City at the Britannia. It wasn't the farewell he thought he'd get and it turned out to be one of the worst defeats in their history.
Stoke ended up scoring five goals in the first half itself as Liverpool were shambolic. The only consolation goal they managed was by none other than Steven Gerrard in the closing stages of the match.
This was also the first time in 52 years, Liverpool had conceded five or more in a single match. An evening to forget for Liverpool fans and Gerrard in particular. No player let alone him, deserved to go out in that fashion,
6. Chelsea 6-0 Arsenal
Arsene Wenger has had several sleepless nights after facing Jose Mourinho's Chelsea teams. The Frenchman has never defeated the Portuguese in the Premier League, a record the current United manager keeps bringing up in his press conferences.
But Wenger's loss to Chelsea in the 2013/14 season would have probably given him temporary insomnia. Arsenal travelled to the Blues with their title challenge already running on fumes, but this rubbed salt into the wounds.
Arsenal were all over the place in defence and to make things worse were they had a player sent off for handball. That incident was hilarious because of the nature of the sending off. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain prevented Hazard's goal-bound shot from sneaking into the net with his hand.
But it was Kieron Gibbs who was shown the red card despite Chamberlain coming up to the referee to confess he was the one who did it. But his words fell on Andre Mariner's deaf ears, and the Gunners humiliation was completed at the end of 90 minutes. No better way to celebrate your 1000th game in charge, eh?
5. Bayern Munich 7-0 Barcelona (On Aggregate)
Barcelona's dominating period came to a screeching halt in 2012 and dramatic fashion as well. The all-conquering side of 2009 and 2011 under Pep Guardiola is considered one of the greatest teams to have set foot on earth
But even they have had their fair shares of bad days and this was one of the worst ever in their history. The misery was spread across two legs in a famous semi-final against Bayern Munich.
The team that the Spaniard would eventually go on to coach completely overwhelmed the Catalans in the first leg. It was a tactical masterclass from the Bavarians who completely neutralised Barca's passing game.
Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery ran riot on the wings and helped Bayern to a 4-0 win at the Allianz Arena. The return leg didn't get any better for Barca with Bayern winning the match quite comfortably to make it a 7-star performance over the two legs.
4. Barcelona 5-0 Real Madrid
Demolition derbies are the best kind for the neutrals, heaven for fans on the winning side and an absolute nightmare for those on the wrong side of the result. Real Madrid fans have handed out a few demolitions themselves, but this time, they were on the receiving end.
Los Blancos travelled to the Nou Camp for the traditional El Clasico. It was Jose Mourinho's first-ever, and it was against the side he thought he would be managing someday. The Pep-Jose rivalry has been talked about at length, and this was the match Mourinho would show they had picked the wrong guy.
But unfortunately for him, it didn't entirely turn out the way he wanted it to. Barcelona mesmerised their opponents with ingenious passing and interchange of play. Madrid struggled to keep pace with them.
Lionel Messi was the star of that show getting three assists in that game. He might not have scored, but that didn't matter. This was arguably the worst ever defeat for Real Madrid because of the hype around the game, and it also marked the bitter beginning for Jose to his now famed rivalry with Guardiola.
3. Manchester United 8-2 Arsenal
'Deadline day, 2011, Arsene Wenger spends considerable sums of money on securing the signings of 5 players within a matter of hours right before the window closes.'
This is what we call a panic buy in football, and it happens when your team needs considerable strengthening after you realise your team is lacking in quality in most positions. This realisation came to Wenger just before that window closed after he came off one of the most humiliating defeats of his career against Manchester United.
The Red Devils were rampant in that famous 8-2 display against the Gunners and it's something that will stay with both sets of fans for years to come. United were playing a team that consisted of several teenagers.
The only notable first-team players were Robin Van Persie, Theo Walcott, Alex Song, Tomas Rosicky and Andriy Arshavin. The players on their subs bench were probably unrecognisable at the time.
Rooney scored a hat-trick, with Ashley Young bagging a brace and Ji-Sung Park also getting on the scoresheet.
2. Manchester United 1-6 Manchester City
Sir Alex Ferguson had a long and glorious career with Manchester United. His reputation was never tarnished, and he has been a hard man to replace as United have found out in recent years.
But this one match was probably the most shocking of his reign at Old Trafford. Manchester City had become serious title contenders after massive investment over the previous few years.
Both were in great form before the game, and it was building up to a momentous occasion. United started the brighter, but City did well to absorb the pressure and get a foothold on the match by scoring the first goal.
In the second half, United had a man sent off, and that gave City the go-ahead to put the foot on the gas and press United and boy did it produce results. City ended up scoring 3 of their six goals in the last 10 minutes and it utterly humiliating considering it was at the Theatre of Dreams, probably the one blemish on an illustrious career for Sir Alex.
1. Brazil 1-7 Germany
There probably isn't a more memorable scoreline in the last decade, let alone the last century. This particular game needs no introduction or conclusion. It will always remain the most significant black spot in Brazilian football no matter what happens in the future.
Brazil were hosting the 2014 World Cup and had reached the semi-finals with more difficulty than expected. There was a bit of worry in the fans' minds as the performances were not completely convincing up until that point.
What's worse was Thiago Silva and Neymar were missing. These omens turned to be the build-up to what was a night to forget for the Bela Horizonte crowd. Without their captain and leader Silva, the Brazil team looked lost.
Germany scored five goals in the first half itself to the disbelief of the fans and all that happened within 10 minutes. The Germans even held back to an extent in the second half, but substitute Andre Schurrle managed to get on the scoresheet as well.
This was supposed to be Brazil's year and to break their 12-year gap of not winning the trophy, but it only left the fans in tears.