'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
One of the main reasons for football being the most popular sport on the planet is that, even with all the training and preparation for a football match, it all comes down to the grueling 90-minutes rendezvous between two teams on the pitch which determines the outcome.
Once the referee has blown the kick-off whistle, the past performances and glories of the players become irrelevant. It is their performance in the next 90 minutes that matters the most. And it is the team which plays as a cohesive force that prevails, even if it is the underdog.
In the modern day football, across all the European leagues we can find clubs which are a cut above the competitors. These clubs have the best players of the league, the state-of-the-arts training facilities and staff. Such teams are always a favorite in all the fixtures that they play.
But a lot can happen in 90 minutes. And sometimes we are able to witness some shocking results. The team which has the odds stacked against it ends up dominating the favorites. Well, when it's not your day, all things tend to go wrong. It is as they say, "You win some, you loose some".
Winning and loosing is part of the game. Not being too predictable and one-sided is what makes the football leagues across Europe so enjoyable and worth watching. And such upsets act as a reminder for all the teams to never underestimate their opponents.
Although, it has only been 2 months since the new season kicked off, across Europe some big upsets have already been caused. So, without further ado, here's the biggest upsets in the European top 5 so far.
#5 Watford 2-1 Tottenham Hotspurs
Watford were without a doubt the surprise package since the beginning of the season. They went on a 4 match winning streak, including this 2-1 win over Tottenham, who if you can remember had just drubbed Manchester United 0-3 at Old Trafford in their previous fixture.
Tottenham were the obvious favorites to win the game. Harry Kane had broken his infamous August goal-scoring drought, Lucas Moura had scored a brace in the previous fixture and was looking sharp. The only weak spot in their team was that they were without Hugo Lloris who was sidelined due to injury.
But the Hornets were fired up from their 100% record thus far and the fact that they were playing in front of their fans propelled them to secure a stunning come-back after an unfortunate Doucoure own goal gave visitors the lead. Deeney equalized in the 69th minute and Cathcart headed away the winner with 14 minutes remaining on the clock.
It was one of the biggest upset of the Premier League so far.
#4 CSKA Moscow 1-0 Real Madrid
The reigning European champions Real Madrid were stunned by an unassuming CSKA Moscow side with a 1-0 loss yesterday.
Los Blancos did not have the best form coming into the fixture. Having lost 3-0 to Sevilla and playing out a draw against city rivals Atletico Madrid, in their last two La Liga fixtures.
Well, they were without their commanding captain Sergio Ramos and star player Gareth Bale, sidelined due to injury, but still to see the winners from last season go down against a club like CSKA was not a great sight.
After the Everton loanee Vlasic blasted home a goal in just 65 seconds, it all went downhill for the Spanish club. And even the reduction of CSKA to 10 men and introduction of The Best FIFA Men's Player Modric couldn't turn the match around in their favor.
#3 Hertha BSC 2-0 Bayern Munich
In what was a shocking development, Hertha BSC defeated Bayern Munich 2-0 at the Olympiastadion Berlin in their recent Bundesliga fixture on Friday.
It was the first defeat for the Bavarians under Niko Kovac. It was a clumsy challenge from Boateng that gave away the penalty, which Hertha captain Ibisevic converted to give hosts the lead. And the lead was doubled by Ondrej Duda just before half time, after he scored following a swift counter-attack.
As the match stats from Whoscored.com suggest, Bayern had a whopping 69% possesion and managed 25 shots in the match. But they were wasteful in front of goal, with only 5 of the 25 shots on target.
It was the biggest upset of the Bundesliga so far.
#2 Sevilla 3-0 Real Madrid
In what was supposed to be a routine fixture for Real Madrid at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, Los Blancos were outclassed by the hosts Sevilla in a crushing 3-0 defeat.
It was their first defeat in La Liga this season, under new manager Julen Lopetegui. The phase after their star man Cristiano Ronaldo left was never going to be easy, but still with players like Bale, Ramos, Varane, Kroos, Modric and the new signing Courtois they should have managed to win a game in which they were the clear favorites.
It was a Portuguese star who stepped up in this fixture, only this time, it was the Sevilla striker Andre Silva, who shattered the Madrid defence with a quick-fire brace. And later on Wissam Ben Yedder added to their misery by scoring in the 39th minute to seal the victory.
#1 Leganes 2-1 Barcelona
The Spanish champions were shocked when they were humbled by the last placed side of the La Liga 2-1 in their sixth league fixture.
Leganes, a side which only earned its promotion to Spanish First Division in 2016 created history when they defeated Barcelona for the first the first time ever.
Barcelona had the perfect start to the match when Coutinho opened the scoring in the 12th minute, following incessant pressing by the Blaugrana. But the hosts didn't give up and slowly increased the pressure on the Barcelona back four.
Their efforts paid off in the second half, when they came back from behind to score two goals in quick succession in the 52nd and 53rd minute to pull off the upset of the season thus far.
