A tournament like a FIFA World Cup is characterized by wealth of footballing talents at display who are ready to give all for their country and lay their hands on the coveted trophy. While the usual perennial powerhouses make the foray at such mega events almost every time it is held, it is the underdog stories that often become the talk of the town going into World Cups. The 2018 FIFA World Cup too has its fair share of underdogs like Sweden, Iceland, Panama and Saudi Arabia who against all odds made it to the finals of the event. While Sweden knocked out the Italians in a play-off to book their ticket to Russia, Iceland did not even need a play off as they topped their group consisting of Turkey, Croatia and Ukraine to mark yet another accomplishment at the world stage. FIFA World Cup 2018 Schedule in IST for PDF Download: Fixtures, Groups, Time Table with Match Timings & Venue Details of Football WC in Russia.

For Panama, it is their first World Cup after years of vying for a World Cup spot and coming out from the CONCAF region as the top 3 qualifiers is something to be really proud of and they should be full of confidence in Russia as they have absolutely no pressure to perform. Asian giants Saudi Arabia are making a comeback of sorts at the FIFA World Cup finals having qualified after a gap of 16 years. Their progression in the tournament will be a closely watched affair and fans back home and in Russia will be hoping for a miracle or two. Let us look at some of the power packed performances by underdogs at the past world cup which is still serves as an inspiration for many till date.

2002 World Cup:  Senegal

Senegal in 2002 World Cup (Photo Credits: FIFA)

African side Senegal were drawn in Group A at the 2002 World Cup along with Uruguay, Denmark and defending champions France and were expected to be stream rolled by their opposition only to produce one of the biggest shocks at a World Cup event when they beat champions France 1-0 thanks to a goal from Papa Diop. The way the Senegalese dominated the game gave them confidence and they went on to draw the next two games versus Denmark and Uruguay 1-1 and 3-3. In this manner, a round of 16 bearth was booked by them as Sweden awaited them in the first knockout game.

A golden goal by Henri Camara propelled Senegal over Sweden as they became only the second African team to progress to a quarter final of a FIFA World Cup. If Golden Goal was the tool for bringing out joy on the faces of Senegalese fans, it proved to be their undoing too in the quarter final against Turkey, as Ilhan Mansiz goal ended their dream run.

1990 World Cup: Cameroon

Cameroon in 1990 World Cup (Photo Credits: FIFA)

The 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy will forever be remembered for the performance of little known African side Cameroon and their star player Roger Mila who cemented his place as one of the greats of the game during the finals. Cameroon topped Group B with wins over Argentina and Romania, with both side’s miles ahead of Cameroon on paper to say the least. An instrumental role in these victories was played by their 38-year-old striker Roger Mila who had come back from retirement to take part in the league. His trade mark dance around the corner flag celebrating his goal is still fresh in the minds of the fans.

Milla also scored in extra time to insure his team was victorious in the round of 16 tie against Colombia and the mighty English now stood in the way of Cameroon. The quarter final proved to be a heart break for the African side as they let slip of a 2-1 lead to concede two late penalties which was calmly dispatched by Gary Lineker of England. But Cameroon had won the hearts of millions of its fan by the way they played throughout the competition.

1974 World Cup: East Germany

East Germany in World Cup 1974 (Photo Credits: Pinterest)

The East Germans did little as a football team in terms of game play or achievements but in match of a high political drama against arch rivals West Germany, they did the unthinkable. With the rival side boasting of players like Gerd Muller and Franz Beckenbauer, East Germany still manage to edge them out 1-0. The defeat was a disaster for West Germany in a game billed as Communism versus Capitalism as 75 percent of the East German population saw their team triumph on their TV sets.

The West German did recover from this shock and went on to claim the trophy, but this defeat had totally different outcome as the game was dominated by political grudge more than the sporting outcome of the match.

1966 World Cup: North Korea

North Korea in 1966 World Cup (Photo Credits: FIFA)

North Korea has had two World Cup appearances so far- one in 1966 and the other in 2010. Both the World Cup performances were in the news for completely contrasting performances. While they got decimated in South Africa in 2010 by superior sides like Brazil, Portugal and the Ivory Coast, they had a magical ride in England back in 1966. Having beaten Australia to guarantee itself a finals spot and they were tied with Italy, Russia and Chile.

The opening round defeat at the hands of Russia did not seem to dampen spirits as they drew against Chile in the next game. Their final group match against Italy gave North Korean winger Pak Do Ik the opportunity to become a household name with his strike sinking the Italians and North Korea set up a quarter-final with Portugal. The whole idea of attacking football at breath taking pace saw North Korea open up a 3-0 lead against the Portuguese but their defense lacked discipline as Portugal made a 3-5 comeback in the game.

1950 World Cup: United States of America

United States of America in 1950 World Cup (Photo Credits: FIFA)

Imagine a bunch of amateur footballers with a non-existent football structure back in their country come up victorious against a footballing side known for its plethora of attacking talent. Well this is exactly what happened when the US football team defeated the mighty English in the group stage of the 1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. While England dominated large parts of the match even hitting the woodwork in the opening 20 minutes, a 38th minute strike from Joseph Gaetjens sent an entire nation into raptures.

Although the USA team lost their remaining two matches, this tournament helped the US restructure their footballing setup. More and more people were inspired to play the game and the game on a whole is still considered to be one the greatest sporting upsets of all time.

These were some of the most astonishing underdog tales from the FIFA World Cup vault and the stories only make us more excited about the prospect of giant killing which is quite evident at these tournaments. The FIFA World Cup 2018 will have this important factor too for the fans to glaze their eyes on too.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 24, 2018 03:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).