From comebacks to utter sheer luck, it’s always phenomenal when an underdog team beats the crowd favorite or the champion. Let’s look back at the nine greatest sports upsets of all time.
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Leicester City Winning the 2016 Premier League
Leicester City winning the 2016 Premier has got to be the biggest upset in soccer history. “They were given 5000:1 odds and only escaped relegation the previous year by nothing short of a miracle,” describes a user.
“Leicester had to survive 38 games,” and they excelled “over the course of an entire season.”
Steven Bradbury Winning the 2002 Winter Olympics
Talk about an underdog winning a gold medal in the 2002 Winter Olympics. Steve Bradbury was slower than his opponents and counted on them colliding to secure a medal. Shockingly, that’s exactly what happened. All his opponents fell on the last turn, making him the first to cross the finish line.
16 Seed UMBC Beating #1 Virginia
“Not only did UMBC beat Virginia, they obliterated them,” shares a user about this monumental basketball game in 2018. “Everyone’s bracket was busted on this game,” adds another.
1980 United States Olympic Hockey Team Beat the Soviet Union
The USSR also suffered a huge blow in the 1980 Olympics when talented but untrained American college kids players outsmarted and outscored the Soviet’s professional players. This upset is known as “the miracle on ice.”
Rulon Gardner Beating Aleksandr Karelin
When we dive into great upsets in the wrestling world, Aleksandr Karelin’s name comes up. “Karelin was 13 years undefeated and 6 years without giving up a point when he lost. He is considered the most dominant athlete in history,” states a poster.
But “Gardner did the impossible by keeping the match scoreless against a man that already defeated him 5-0 in a previous match” and ended up with a stunning 1-0 win.
Greece Won 2004 Euro
It was also a huge historical moment in sports when Greece won the 2004 Euro. The team didn’t play exciting football, with many people categorizing it as a bottom-tier team. However, their 1-0 win against Portugal saw them lift the UEFA EURO trophy.
1950 World Cup Final
Brazil also suffered a huge sports upset in the 1950 World Cup Final. The Brazilian team and fans were confident of beating Uruguay and had “already planned celebrations, songs, and parades.” However, Uruguay won 2-1, a surreal moment that brought so much shame to the Brazilian team.
Japan Stuns South Africa in the 2015 Rugby World Cup
Japan also surprised the world by beating the mighty South African team in the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Instead of playing to get a draw in the last-minute penalty, Japan kept going for the win and pulled it off.
Denmark Winning the 1992 European Cup
One user summarizes Denmark’s win to a tee, “Denmark was not even qualified but got in because Yugoslavia ceased to exist. Then Denmark came to Sweden in the last minute, went through the tournament, and finished, beating both the massive favorites in the final two matches.”
“And in 1992, Denmark didn’t even have their best player, Michael Laudrup, with them because he had started his vacation and didn’t like the coach,” adds another user.
Source: Reddit
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