World Cup 2018: 5 biggest shocks so far

It's that time of the quadrennial cycle again, the World Cup is here, and it brings with it unmatched football action that causes this month-long tournament to be so revered and awaited by football fans.

There are few things more satisfying than a 'big' team living up to it's potential and playing amazing football to put an unfortunate team to the sword. One of those few things is the World Cup upset, a David and Goliath battle where David somehow comes out on top and stuns everyone.

As is tradition, this World Cup has been high on drama and emotion, and now that the group phases of the World Cup are over, we have been treated to some astounding results, which are sure to live long in the memory both players and supporters alike.

Here are 5 from this edition:

---

#5 Brazil 1- 1 Switzerland: Group E

The Swiss frustrated the Brazilians in the opening match of group E

Ask any Brazil supporter before a World Cup begins and you'll get only one answer. Simply put, every time Brazil enters an international tournament, any outcome except winning is deemed a failure, such are the expectations of this talented group of players, and with good reason.

Cruising through a brutal South American qualifying system, the Samba boys are once again seen as favourites to win in 2018, and with the quality and depth of their squad, they were expected by many to make light work of their Group E opponents in their first match.

Things started well, with Phillipe Coutinho scoring one of the goals of the tournament so far to give Brazil a good start in the 20th minute, but the Swiss contingent had other plans.

Needless to say, the Brazilian party didn't get off to the start everyone expected, with Steven Zuber's header cancelling out Coutinho's opener just after halftime. Showcasing brilliant organisation in defence and totally marking Brazil's star men out of the game, the Swiss were able to hold the Brazilians to a draw and take home a deserved point for their efforts.

#4 Argentina 1-1 Iceland: Group D

Iceland frustrated Argentina in their opening game

Argentina did not have a good qualification campaign by any stretch of the imagination, in danger of elimination until the last day and needing a Messi hat-trick in a must-win game to confirm their ticket to Russia. Nonetheless, any time with an attack like the one Argentina possess will be seen as favourites and will gather big expectations for themselves. Sampaoli's Argentina is no exception.

Though the Iceland team is certainly more than capable of challenging any team on their day, they are almost always viewed as underdogs, a viewpoint which they continue to defy with every passing match.

As always, they were seen as the underdogs again in their opening game against Argentina on the 16th of June, and when Sergio Aguero found the net in the 19th minute, everyone sensed it was back to normal service again.

However, not letting their heads drop, Iceland put up a valiant fight in the face of unfavourable odds and replied almost instantly, with national hero Alfred Finnbogason scoring for the Vikings in the 23rd minute.

From then on, Iceland was resolute in defence and parried attack after Argentine attack, and though Argentina won a penalty in the second half too, goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson pulled off a brilliant save to deny Argentina victory, taking home a hard-fought point.

#3 Japan 2-1 Colombia: Group H

Japan celebrates scoring the winner against Colombia

Colombia was seen as outside contenders going into this World Cup, and in a challenging group, Japan was seen as a team that was surely going to end up going home come to the end of the group stages, and Colombia was expected to get 3 points in their first game at the World Cup.

However, a seemingly harmless long ball into the Colombian box wasn't dealt with, leading to Carlos Sanchez blocking a sure goal with his hands, getting himself sent off and setting the tone for the match. The resulting penalty was duly dispatched by Shinji Kagawa, and Colombia suddenly had a mountain to climb.

To their credit, even with 10 men, Colombia did fantastically well to get back into the game and went into the halftime break with the scores level at 1-1, courtesy of an ingenious free kick by midfielder Juan Quintero.

The second half, however, was when the numerical mismatch started to pay more and more dividends with the time passing and fatigue setting in, and it ultimately proved too much to handle as Japan scored the winning goal via a Yuya Osako header on the 73rd minute.

#2 Mexico 1-0 Germany: Group F

Mexico shocked the world in their game against Germany

Germany, the world champions, a powerhouse of world football went into this world cup as it has gone into every other one, with the sole aim of winning it all. Boasting a squad so talented that one of the players of the season in the Premier League, Leroy Sane, was allegedly deemed surplus to requirements.

Needless to say, the Germans and their fans were pretty confident of putting on a good display in Russia. If their first game against Mexico was anything to go by, that confidence evidently turned into over-confidence.

From the very start of the game, contrary to expectations, Mexico came out with power and purpose and tore the poorly executed German counter-press to shreds. They went into halftime with a well-deserved 1-0 lead courtesy of a Hirving Lozano strike. One could argue they could have had even more.

The 2nd half saw a slightly better display from Joachim Low's side but Mexico held firm and was ultimately good value for their 1-0 win, shocking practically everyone in the process.

#1 South Korea 2-0 Germany: Group F

Both sets of players show contrasting emotions at the end of the tie

Initially, when the draws were made, all the discussion about group F was who would be the one to qualify in 2nd place, people were so sure that Germany was going to qualify and that too with ease. If the first game against Mexico was a wake-up call, this was no less than a do or die situation for Die Mannschaft.

After a moment of magic from Toni Kroos in Germany's thrilling win over Sweden last time out, Germany was presumed by many to have got their campaign back on track after a minor blip. Needless to say, no one was ready for what was about to happen on this fateful afternoon on the 27th of June.

Germany came into the match with South Korea with a simple equation, get a win, and qualify for the knockout stages. South Korea, who had played decently so far but had lost both their games, were given little to no chance by analysts of getting even a draw, let alone win against the former world champions.

However, after a solid defensive performance against wave after wave of the German attack, the Koreans finally got their chance in injury time after a scuffle in the box following a corner, and Kim Young-Gwon took ruthlessly.

Heung Min Son scored soon after in an empty goal with Neuer having gone up desperately in search of an equaliser, and that was the final nail in the coffin for the German World Cup campaign, sending Mexico through in 2nd place despite their 3-0 loss to Sweden, and the Germans finished bottom of their group, a massive surprise for everyone, continuing the curse of the reigning champions going out in the group stage.