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#2 Sweden (1958)
The World Cup had been awarded to Sweden, and the host nation took full advantage of their home support to script an unlikely run all the way to the final.
Sweden started off with a breezy 3-0 victory over Mexico before edging out 1954 runners-up Hungary 2-1 to qualify for the knockouts. The redundant last game saw the hosts play out a drab 0-0 draw against debutants Wales, who also qualified through a play-off.
The first knockout game for Sweden was a quarterfinal against the Soviet Union, who they duly beat 2-0 with goals from Kurt Hammrin and Tore Klas Simonsson.
The host nation faced their first big challenge in the semifinals, where they were up against the defending champions, West Germany. In a packed stadium in Gothenburg, Germany took the lead in the 24th minute through Hans Schaefer. It didn’t take Sweden very long to equalize, with a 32nd-minute strike from Karl Skoglund levelling scores.
The rest of the match was a tight affair, with both sides creating chances. However, with ten minutes to go, the Swedes, backed by a raucous crowd, shifted through the gears and scored twice in quick succession to eliminate the West Germans and set up a final against favourites Brazil.
The final in Stockholm saw the home side take the lead after just four minutes, and the entire country believed that a shock victory for the hosts was on the cards. Unfortunately for them, the early goal seemed to just wake up the giant in Brazil, who decided to run riot. They equalized within the next five minutes, and from then on they blew away the Swedes.
The front four of Vava, Didi, Mario Zagallo and a seventeen-year-old Pele ran rings around Sweden, playing silky football from another planet. They eventually ran out 5-2 winners, and won their first ever World Cup, before going on to win four more.
The World had witnessed, for the first time, what Brazil had to offer. Overnight, Pele became a sensation, and unfortunately, his arrival clouded over the resilient Sweden team who came so close to World Cup glory.
