Although Shamrock Rovers were unable to topple Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s AC Milan side in the UEFA Europa League, it was a game in which many were hoping for the Irish side to record a remarkable, but unlikely, victory.
Indeed, ‘David vs Goliath’ matches have certainly become hugely entertaining affairs and pique the interest of many football fans around the world, especially when two teams are at the opposite end of the quality spectrum.
Of course, this matches only usually take place in cup competition, however that is what further adds to the excitement surrounding these fixtures, as bigger clubs/nations have a reputation to play for and will not want to be toppled by their rather lowly opponents. In fact, it is very much the same for bettors and online casinos, as many of the establishments will be seen as ‘Goliath’, although they do offer some great sign up bonuses to tempt ‘David’ to come and have a go at toppling them.
Naturally, there have been some top moments throughout the history of football that have seen the giants fall, but here are just some of the best ones to have happened over the years.
Chelsea 2-4 Bradford City (24 January 2015)
League One outfit, Bradford City managed to shock Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup 2-4, despite going two goals down. What was also impressive, though, was that they were 49 places behind Chelsea at the time and had a squad that cost £199,992,500 less. Who said money can buy success?
Mexico 1-2 Costa Rica (16 June 2001)
For some, this might not be seen as a huge upset. Especially given how good Costa Rica have been in recent editions of the FIFA World Cup. However, 2001 was a very different story as Mexico dominated every side they played at home in the impressive Azteca Stadium. In fact, prior to that match, El Tri had gone 20 years without being beaten at home and had never lost a FIFA World Cup qualifying game at home ever in their history.
Senegal 1-0 France (31 May 2002)
2002 was a bad year for France, especially in the FIFA World Cup, however things were only going to get even more miserable as they were beaten by a relatively unknown outfit in Senegal during the Group Stages of the tournament. Man-mountain, and Fulham legend, Papa Bouba Diop would knock the French out of the competition they would have been favoured to win and helped put the African nation on the footballing map.
Greece 1-0 Portugal (4 July 2004)
Perhaps one of the most famous international ‘David vs Goliath’ moments to have ever happened was in the 2004 UEFA European Championships final, in which Greece and Portugal competed for the ultimate prize. With the tournament being held in Portugal, the hosts were heavily fancied, especially as they had a plethora of world-class players at their disposal available. However, Greece continued to shock everyone with the same type of rugged performance they displayed in every game throughout the competition and Angelos Charisteas provided the moment that truly saw Goliath be conquered.
