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A World Cup of upsets
From Saudi Arabia kicking off the tournament with a shock win over Brazil to the continued resilience of Morocco all the way to the quarter-finals, it has been a tournament of surprises from all directions.
SBS commentator Martin Tyler was in the thick of the action, calling the matches that will go down in World Cup history as some of the most unlikely results ever!
“I was lucky enough to have on back-to-back days the excitement of Saudi Arabia beating Argentina coming from behind, and then Japan doing the same to Germany," said Tyler.
“I said it was the same movie with different casts and different heroes, but it was almost an exact repetition – a goal in the first half, a penalty for the so-called bigger team, and then the lesser team coming through to win the game.
“Absolutely extraordinary and relatively early in the tournament as well.”
“That’s what I love about football in the end - you don’t want to go to a mismatch, and we’ve had very few of those here. Even Costa Rica bounced back from losing 7-0 [to Spain] and Iran bounced back from losing 6-2 [England]. So, it’s been full of excitement.”
SBS sideline reporter Matt Connellan had a great view of the games, immersed in the atmosphere of the surprise comeback victories.
“Saudi Arabia’s upset of Argentina - I’ve never experienced an atmosphere like that at a football stadium and the sheer shock value of Saudi Arabia turning over Argentina, you really had to be there to feel it and experience it,” said Connellan.
Socceroos ignite World Cup in Qatar and back home
Australia had their best ever World Cup from a result perspective, winning two games in the group stages and progressing through to the Round of 16, where they ran tournament favourites Argentina very close in a 2-1 loss. Considering some of the thrashings higher-ranked teams were on the end of during that same round, it was a particularly noteworthy performance that drew praise from admirers around the world.
“Mathew Leckie, Mitchell Duke’s header – memories for a lifetime," said SBS reporter Adrian Arciuli. "Then against Argentina, pushing them to the final whistle. If Garang Kuol’s goal goes in, it will go down as one of the greatest moments in Australian sporting history without doubt if they would have come back.
“That match will leave a lasting legacy just like the 2006 team did.”
The performance in Qatar was one thing, but the reception it created back home around the country was immense, with tens of thousands packing out live sites and record numbers on the SBS broadcast.
“The sort of euphoria it created in Australia amongst the young fans who are probably only in nappies when the 2006 World Cup was played in Germany," said SBS commentator David Basheer. "They got to feel what we felt on site, which was Australia performed so well, they did their nation proud and it was just absolutely unbelievable to see.”
What's next? Who will challenge for World Cup glory?
It's now down to just eight teams of the original 32 in contention for the World Cup victory, from surprise packets Morocco to pre-tournament favourites Brazil. Who can find that next level that will propel them to the holy grail of football?
“The narrative, as far as I’m concerned is I can’t pick a winner," said Tyler. "Normally, you see so many of these games where you think, yeah, they’re the team that’s going to do it, they’ve got that little bit extra, but there are four or five teams where you can say well they have that little bit extra but so have the others as well."
David Basheer opted for a more direct approach, predicting an end to the absence of back-to-back winners.
“I think France and Brazil have produced the best quality football at this tournament. Morocco have been outstanding, and they represent Africa and the Arab region, so from those two points of view, England are the dark horse in my view," said Basheer. "If they can get through France, they are a big chance to win the tournament.
“In my opinion, it has been France and I reckon they have got the edge over Brazil slightly. It’s only fine margins [but] I think they will win back-to-back World Cup titles, and join Brazil in the 1960s in that respect.”
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