Five shocking first-round FIFA World Cup exits by defending champions

Upsets are a part and parcel of football. Almost every time, a powerhouse chokes andfails to make it past the group stages at the World Cup finals. This years edition was certainly no different.Although some are more surprising than the others, we look back at theoccasionswhen the then reigning champions went on to suffershocking first-round exits.

#5 Italy - 1950

World War II meant that the planned 1942 and 1946 events had to be cancelled. When the tournament did resume in 1950 – after a lengthy 12 year gap, it was overshadowed by teams withdrawing out and refusing to participate in the competition.

The Italians, winners of the previous two editions, were of a no different opinion. Some of their team players had died in the tragic Superga air disaster and they were not keen on attending the tournament. Following some persuasion by the Brazilian football federation, they agreed to come, but by a boat rather than a plane.

They lost their opening match, a 2-3 defeat to Sweden and although they did manage to beat Paraguay 2-0 in their last match, it wasn’t quite enough as the Italians had already been eliminated by then.

#4 Brazil - 1966

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Pele missed Brazil’s next match, a shock 1-3 defeat to Hungary, which was incidentally the South American giants first loss since 1954. Although Pele recovered for Brazil’s next crucial encounter against Portugal, he failed to inspire his team enough as the Selecao slumped to another 1-3 loss. Eusebio scored two goals. The first of those, a sumptuous volley from a very tight angle, which all but ended Brazilian hopes.

#3 France - 2002

1998 was the year when France went the entire tournament unbeaten. An almost perfect campaign, as you can call it now, was capped off by a resounding 3-0 thrashing of tournament favourites Brazil to lift the World Cup trophy in front of their own fans in Paris. Cherry on the cake, really.

But the Les Blues began the 2002 edition in the most horrible fashion, going down to debutants Senegal tamely. Their worries were compounded when star striker Thierry Henry was sent off in their next match, a drab 0-0 draw against Uruguay. Another awful performance in the 2-0 defeat to Denmark resulted in France suffering a humiliating exit from the tournament without even managing to score a goal.

#2 Italy - 2010

Having beaten France four years back in a dramatic penalty shoot-out, Italy arrived in the southern tip of Africa determined to retain their crown. Having been placed in a relatively easy Group F alongside Paraguay, New Zealandand Slovakia, they were expected not only totop the group but alsohead into the next round unbeaten.

Successive draws to Paraguay and New Zealand in the first two games and the pressure was well and truly on them to deliver thatelusive winagainstnewbiesSlovakia, which could have potentially scraped them through to the next round.

But the Slovaks were a determined lot. Robert Vittek scored either side of half-time to put Slovakia 2-0 ahead and Italy on the brink of elimination. Although two goals at either end lit up the game in the final ten minutes, the Azzuris fatehad already been sealed by then.

Quagliarellas spectacular volleyin the dying seconds brought some joy to the fans, but Italy in the end were timed out, eliminated,paying the price for some reallysluggish football all tournament.

#1 Spain - 2014

The latest entrant of them all. Four years after that Andres Iniesta goal, there were signs of chinks in Spain’s armour heading into the tournament, having been brutally exposed by a terrific Brazilian side in the Confederations Cup finals the previous year. Yet they were still widely expected to be in the running for the title.

They looked on course for a regular victory in their opening fixture after a slighly dubious Xabi Alonso penalty put Spain ahead at the half hour mark. What followed next left everyone stunned, gasping for breath! The Dutch, having not let their heads down, plundered five past hapless ‘San’ Iker. The Spanish defence crumpled in heaps as Van Persie and Robben ran amok.

With the Netherlands all but progressing through that group following a win against Australia earlier that day, Spain faced a do-or-die situation. But quite unfortunately, it seemed that they were unable to pick themselves up from the Dutch embarrasment as they bowed out meekly, losing 0-2 to a resurgent Chilean side.