5 most undeserved major tournament victories of all time
Before any major football tournament, there is generally an agreed consensus about the favorites and who the eventual winner might be. Everyone expects to see Manchester City and Real Madrid in the final stages of the Champions League.
The case is usually similar in international competitions as well. Brazil are generally expected to make it to the knockout stages of the World Cup, and France are usually favorites to win the EUROs.
This makes it all the more astonishing when a struggling team somehow defies all expectations to reach the final and lift the trophy at the end.
These undeserving winners are either underdogs with tiny, dramatic moments of brilliance that guide them to the trophy, or star teams that perform well below their actual level.
So, without further ado, let's take a look at five such teams:
#5 Chelsea | Champions League 2012
The first European trophy in Chelsea's history came from a a result nobody, except maybe Blues fans, saw coming. Opponents Bayern Munich were a gulf apart in quality, with the ruthless Bavarian side facing a much easier road to the finals. Chelsea struggled to beat Napoli and were lucky to beat Barcelona in the semi-finals.
CHELSEA ARE THE CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE!
The expectations were clear: Bayern would overpower the London club through sheer brute force and win a deserved Champions League trophy. However, things didn't go according to plan.
Although they controlled the entire match, the German club were unable to convert their dominance into a goal. Bayern eventually took the lead in the 83rd minute, but a moment of poor concentration saw the Germans concede in the 88th minute. The Blues managed to push the game into extra time and eventually won on penalties.
#4 Portugal | EURO 2016
A Seleção's EURO win in 2016 was rather unexpected, especially because of their performances in the games they played en route to the finals. Fernando Santos' team qualified as one of the best third placed teams in their group. Portugal didn't win any matches in the group stage, fumbling each time to secure a draw. The knockout games weren't any better, with Portugal getting through on extra-time or penalties in two out of three knockout matches.
Five years ago today, Portugal won EURO 2016 🏆
Cristiano Ronaldo's first trophy with his country 🤩
Tomorrow, #ITA or #ENG take their crown 👑 https://t.co/SXLmPQpwS0
In the final match against France, the Portuguese were second-best for much of the game. They struggled to hold onto possession of the ball and were unable to convincingly make headway into the final third.
Portugal capitalized on a moment of poor defending from France in the second half of extra time to score the only goal of the game and lift the trophy.