2018 FIFA World Cup: From Italy to Netherlands, Five Big Teams That Failed to Qualify for Football WC Russia

The 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia promises thrill a minute ride as some of the top teams of the world battling it out for supremacy. The usual powerhouses like Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, England and France will all be there to showcase their footballing talent. While the World Cup preparations of these countries are already started to trickle in the headlines and is captivating the fans and media alike, there are a certain set of nations with history and firepower who failed to make the cut in the World Cup finals. The players of these nations will soak their disappointments with extended holidays, but for the fans, FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia is last on the list of things to look forward to. Here is the list of top nations who failed to qualify for the World Cup 2018. FIFA World Cup 2018 Schedule in IST for PDF Download: Fixtures, Groups, Time Table with Match Timings & Venue Details of Football WC in Russia.

Italy

The Azzurri missed out on a World Cup for the first time in fifty years shocking an entire nation and certainly damaging the reputation of Italian football to a certain extent. The Italians were placed in Group G of the UEFA European qualifiers having Spain as the only top side in a group which also featured Albania, Israel, Macedonia and Liechtenstein. They finished second in the group with seven wins, two draws and their only loss coming against the Spanish team to finish on 23 points. This meant they moved to the play-off stage where the Swedish awaited them.

Sweden was always going to be tricky for the Italians, but a defeat was unfathomable. But a 1-0 defeat in Solna by a solitary goal from Jakob Johansson put the Italians under pressure. The second leg in Milan saw Italy go hell for leather with 23 shots on goal but the Swedish defense held firm to send Italy out of the Cup.

Chile

A resurgent Chile who had won two Copa America titles in two years and played a final of the 2017 Confederations cup in Russia; saw their World Cup qualification hope dash in the space of 90 minutes. They went from third in the South American World Cup qualifier to sixth after a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Brazil in the last round of the qualifiers. Although they finished tied on points with Peru with 26, they were sent packing on a tiebreaker with Peru claiming the playoff spot.

While the Chileans had no one to blame other than them for this massive turning point in their campaign, this event dent the pride of the South American nation whose fans are insanely passionate about their football team.

Netherlands

The 2010 World Cup finalist in South Africa and a nation known for producing some of the game’s greatest players, the Dutch national team is on a free fall. They finished third in Group A behind France and Sweden. An inferior goal difference saw them fall behind Sweden as the two sides finished on 19 points. A 4-0 drubbing by France was where the campaign took a turn for the worse. A costly loss away to Bulgaria also added to Holland’s inglorious exit, and change of management also did not help their cause.

Ghana

One of Africa’s premium sides, Ghana failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia as the side saw their campaign failing to take off. With four draws and a solitary win in six group games as the Black Stars could not muster a single home win. Injury concerns and lack of form shown by top players in the campaign meant Ghana failed to qualify for their fourth successive World Cup. Ghana also had a run in with FIFA over the standard of refereeing in a match involving Uganda which was rejected.

Greece

Greece did well to manage a playoff with Croatia after it finished behind Belgium with five wins from ten games in Group H of European qualifiers with 19 points. They were obvious advancements with a lot of young players like Dimitris Kourbelis and Panagiotis Retsos who showed glimpses of Greece future which looks impressive. A 4-1 loss on aggregate to Croatia was heartbreaking for Greece as they were blown apart in the first leg, but they showed resilience in the second leg and improved their attack to manage a 0-0 draw. Greece will have taken heart from these positives and hoping for a turnaround in the 2020 European Championships qualifiers.

While it is a fact that the absence of such countries from the World Cup takes away a bit of shine from the event, but it also reminds each one of us about how even a small drop in form can ruin one's World Cup dreams. At the end of the day, it is all part of the learning curve.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 29, 2018 05:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).