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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.
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.
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.
#3 Greece | EURO 2004
It seemed unlikely that Greece would become European champions at any point in recent history. In 2004, however, Piratiko managed to make their way through to the finals and cause a major upset.
The side played Portugal, Spain and Russia in the group stage, managing to beat A Seleção and snatch a draw against La Roja. They faced France in the quarter-finals, staging a surprise 1-0 win, and then beat Czech Republic in the semi-finals with a silver goal in extra time.
Many assumed that Greece would struggle to hold off the Portuguese. Luiz Felipe Scolari's side were also looking for vengeance, especially after Greece had managed a win against them in the group stages.
However, a dull game ensued, and Portugal were unable to bypass a rock-solid Greek defense. Piratiko eventually found the only goal of the game thanks to a perfect header from Angelos Charisteas following a corner in the 57th minute. Portugal's attempts to equalize were futile and the Greek side saw the match out with a shocking 1-0 win.
#2 Denmark | EURO 1992
The most notable fact about Denmark's trophy win at EURO 1992 was that they didn't even qualify for the tournament. Yugoslavia, who had qualified, ended up withdrawing from the competition and lost their spot to the Danes.
In the group stages, Denmark held England to a draw, lost to rivals Sweden, and enjoyed a brilliant 2-1 win against France.
These results guided them into the semi-finals where they faced a tough Netherlands outfit. Although the Netherlands bossed much of the game, which went into extra-time, Denmark held onto a 2-2 draw until penalties where they eventually won.
Peter Schmeichel performed brilliantly in the final against Germany, keeping a clean sheet. The Danes took their chances clinically to see off Die Mannschaft with two goals.
#1 Argentina | World Cup 1978
Many pundits agree that Argentina's title win at the 1978 World Cup was a farce more than anything else. The country happened to be under an authoritarian military junta government who tried to promote propaganda through the World Cup being held in Argentina. The country's domestic politics brought about serious interference and match-fixing which allegedly enabled Argentina's eventual win.
The Argentine side played all their group games at night, after other teams in the group had finished their matches. Favoritism from the referees and controversial decisions raised questions about how much pressure the dictatorship government had placed on FIFA.
Lajos Baroti, Hungary's head coach, notably said:
"Everything, even the air, is in favor of Argentina."
It was no surprise when La Albiceleste powered their way through to the finals and eventually won the World Cup.
