World Cup’s greatest shocks – where does Argentina’s loss to Saudi Arabia at Qatar 2022 rank?
Argentina have become the latest side to suffer a shock World Cup defeat – but how does it compare to some of the previous jaw-dropping losses?
Football fans watched in amazement as Lionel Messi’s side – one of the favourites to win this year’s tournament – were beaten 2-1 by Saudi Arabia on Tuesday morning.
It looked like it would be plain sailing for the South Americans when Messi scored a penalty to put his side 1-0 up.
But Saudi Arabia, who are 51st in the FIFA world rankings, fought back with goals from Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari to record a historic win.
Such is the extent of the excitement around today’s victory, that the country’s ruler King Salman has declared a national holiday across Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
Here Sky News looks at some of the other big shocks in the history of football’s most prestigious tournament.
Argentina 0 Cameroon 1
Italy 1990
It is not the first time that Argentina have suffered a shock defeat at a World Cup.
Back at Italia 90, they were beaten 1-0 by Cameroon, in what is regarded to be one of the biggest World Cup upsets.
Cameroon celebrate after beating Argentina at Italia 90
Managed by Russian coach Valery Nepomnyashchy and led by 38-year-old striker Roger Milla, Cameroon faced a tough group with Argentina, Romania and the Soviet Union.
But they started in superb style, beating an Argentina side featuring Diego Maradona thanks to a second-half header from Francois Omam-Biyik.
Despite having two players sent off in the second half, Cameroon managed to hold on to secure a historic win.
They went on to beat Romania, before losing 4-0 to the Soviet Union to top the group.
They then beat Colombia in the second round, before losing in extra-time to England in the quarter-finals.
West Germany 1 Algeria 2
Spain 1982
Having won the European Championships in 1980, West Germany were one of the favourites going into the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
They were expected to win their opening game comfortably against Algeria, who had made the World Cup finals for the first time.
Algeria’s Lakhdar Belloumi celebrates as his team stun West Germany in 1982. Pic: AP
West German coach Jupp Derwall tempted fate by saying that if his side didn’t beat Algeria “I’ll be on the next train home”.
He also said his players “would laugh their heads off if I showed them film of the Algerian team”.
Despite boasting a team packed with stars, West Germany were stunned 2-1 by the Algerians.
West Germany managed to bounce back quickly and battled through to the final, where they were beaten by tournament winners Italy.
North Korea 1 Italy 0
England 1966
While for England fans 1966 will evoke memories of World Cup victory, it is quite a different story for Italy.
That is because they were at the wrong end of one of the biggest World Cup upsets in history, losing 1-0 to North Korea at Ayresome Park in Middlesbrough.
North Korea’s Pak Doo Ik, second right, scores the only goal of the game as they beat Italy at the 1966 World Cup
The warning signs should have been there for Italy, with North Korea beating Australia 9-2 on aggregate across a two-leg playoff to make it to the World Cup finals.
Italy, meanwhile, were a team struggling for form, having been eliminated early in 1954, failing to qualify in 1958 and again being knocked out early in 1962.
After beating Chile 2-0, and then losing to the Soviet Union 1-0, they struggled early against North Korea, who scored the only goal of the game late in the second-half through Pak Doo-ik.
South Korea 2 Italy 1
Korea/Japan 2002
Italy were also on the end of another World Cup shock in 2002, when they faced co-hosts South Korea.
Featuring superstars including goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, legendary defender Paolo Maldini and a front line with Alessandro Del Piero and Francesco Totti, many had Italy as one of the favourites for the tournament.
But they were beaten 2-1 by South Korea during a thrilling round of 16 tie.
Italian players at the end of their infamous defeat to South Korea in 2002. Pic: AP
Christian Vieri gave Italy an early lead with a powerful header on 18 minutes.
But South Korea managed a late equaliser through Seol Ki Hyeon to push the game into extra-time.
With the game looking destined for penalties, Jung-Hwan Ahn scored a tap-in in the 117th minute to dump Italy out and send South Korea through.
France 0 Senegal 1
Korea/Japan 2002
The South Korea-Japan World Cup threw up a shock early on in the tournament when Senegal stunned defending champions France 1-0.
Senegal shocked World Cup holders France in 2002
France featured a stellar squad, with the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry.
But an injury to Zidane early on appeared to disrupt France’s rhythm, while the then little-known but talented El Hadji Diouf took a starring role.
The forward, who would later move to Liverpool after impressing in the tournament, harassed the French defence throughout and forced a mistake which was capitalised on by the game’s only goalscorer, Papa Bouba Diop.
The tournament only got worse for France, who were dumped out at the group stage, while Senegal battled through to the quarter-final before suffering an extra-time defeat to Turkey.
England 0 USA 1
Brazil 1950
Later turned into a film named ‘The Miracle Match’ due to the size of the upset, England’s defeat to the USA is regarded as one of the most shocking in World Cup history.
England, making their debut in the tournament, were heavy favourites against a US team consisting mostly of part-time players, among them a high school teacher and a dishwasher.
The Three Lions were known as the ‘Kings of Football’ at the time, with an impressive post-war record of 23 wins, four losses and three draws, including a 10-0 win against Portugal.
Joe Gaetjens was the hero for the US as they beat England at the 1950 World Cup
England’s star player Stanley Matthews was rested for the game, which US coach was so pessimistic about that he declared prior to the game: ‘We have no chance’.
But Haitian-born Joe Gaetjens scored the only goal in what would be a heroic 1-0 victory for the US.
The team was later profiled in a book named The Game of their Lives, which was later into a film of the same name – later named The Miracle Match.
Spain 0 Northern Ireland 1
Spain 1982
Northern Ireland were out to prove a point in 1982 when they qualified for the first World Cup in 14 years.
But their job was made all the more difficult when they were drawn with the hosts, Spain, as well as Yugoslavia and Honduras.
After draws with the latter sides, Northern Ireland faced down a talented Spain side.
An early second half goal from Watford striker Gerry Armstrong gave Northern Ireland a much-needed lead.
Gerry Armstrong scores for Northern Ireland against World Cup host Spain in 1982. Pic: AP
But they had to dig after Mal Danoghy saw red on 60 minutes, battling with a man down for the final 30 minutes to secure their historic win.
Both sides qualified for the second knock-out round, where they were dumped out after finishing bottom of their respective groups.
The Syrian presidency has announced it’s assembling a special taskforce to try to stop nearly a week of sectarian clashes in the southern Druze city of Sweida.
The presidency called for restraint on all sides and said it is making strenuous efforts to “stop the fighting and curb the violations that threaten the security of the citizens and the safety of society”.
By early Saturday morning, a ceasefire had been confirmed by the US special envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, who posted on X that Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to a ceasefire supported by US secretary of state Marco Rubio.
The post went on to state that this agreement had the support of “Turkey, Jordan and its neighbours” and called upon the Druze, Bedouins, and Sunni factions to put down their arms.
Sky News special correspondent Alex Crawford reports from the road leading to Sweida, the city that has become the epicentre of Syria’s sectarian violence.
For the past 24 hours, we’ve watched as Syria‘s multiple Arab tribes began mobilising in the Sweida province to help defend their Bedouin brethren.
Thousands travelled from multiple different Syrian areas and had reached the edge of Sweida city by Friday nightfall after a day of almost non-stop violent clashes and killings.
“We have come to protect the [Arab] Bedouin women and children who are being terrorised by the Druze,” they told us.
Arab fighters said they had come to protect the Bedouin women and children
Fighters at a petrol station
Every shop and every home in the streets leading up to Sweida city has been burned or ransacked, the contents destroyed or looted.
We saw tribal fighters loading the back of pickup trucks and driving away from the city with vehicles packed with looted goods from Druze homes.
Shops and homes leading up to Sweida city have been burned or ransacked
Several videos posted online showed violence against the Druze, including one where tribal fighters force three men to throw themselves off a high-rise balcony and are seen being shot as they do so.
Doctors at the nearby community hospital in Buser al Harir said there had been a constant stream of casualties being brought in. As we watched, another dead fighter was carried out of an ambulance.
The medics estimated there had been more than 600 dead in their area alone. “The youngest child who was killed was a one-and-a-half-year-old baby,” one doctor told us.
Doctors said there had been a constant stream of casualties due to violence
The violence is the most dangerous outbreak of sectarian clashes since the fall of the Bashar al Assad regime last December – and the most serious challenge for the new leader to navigate.
The newly brokered deal is aimed at ending the sectarian killings and restoring some sort of stability in a country which is emerging from more than a decade of civil war.
Israel and Syria have agreed to a ceasefire, the US ambassador to Turkey has said.
Several hundred people have reportedly been killed this week in the south of Syria in violence involving local fighters, government authorities and Bedouin tribes.
As the violence escalated in the southern province of Sweida, Israel launched airstrikes, including attacks on Wednesday on the defence ministry in Damascus and a target near the presidential palace.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government said it aimed to protect Syrian Druze – part of a small but influential minority that also has followers in Lebanon and Israel.
In a post on X, the US ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, said Israel and Syria had agreed to a ceasefire supported by Turkey, Jordan and others.
“We call upon Druze, Bedouins, and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity,” Mr Barrack said in a post on X.
The Israeli embassy in Washington and Syrian Consulate in Canada did not immediately comment or respond to requests for comment from the Reuters news agency.
The ceasefire announcement came after the US worked to put an end to the conflict, with secretary of state Marco Rubio saying on Wednesday that steps had been agreed to end a “troubling and horrifying situation”.
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Why is Israel bombing Syria?
After Israel warned it would destroy forces attacking Syrian Druze, Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa told the minority group in a televised statement on Thursday that “we reject any attempt to drag you into hands of an external party”.
He then claimed Israel has “consistently targeted our stability and created discord among us since the fall of the former regime”.
It comes after the United Nations’ migration agency said earlier on Friday that nearly 80,000 people had been displaced in the region since violence broke out on Sunday.
It also said that essential services, including water and electricity, had collapsed in Sweida, telecommunications systems were widely disrupted, and health facilities in Sweida and Daraa were under severe strain.
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At least three people have been killed after a “horrific incident” at a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department training facility, officials have said.
A spokesperson for the department said there was an explosion at the Biscailuz Center Academy Training in east LA.
The incident was reported at around 7.30am local time (3.30pm UK time).
Aerial footage from local channel KABC-TV suggests the blast happened in a parking lot filled with sheriff patrol cars and box trucks.
The training centre in east LA. Pic: NBC Los Angeles
Attorney general Pam Bondi wrote on X: “I just spoke to @USAttyEssayli about what appears to be a horrific incident that killed at least three at a law enforcement training facility in Los Angeles.
“Our federal agents are at the scene and we are working to learn more.”
California congressman Jimmy Sanchez said the explosion had “claimed the lives of at least three deputies”.
“My condolences to the families and everyone impacted by this loss,” he said.
Media and law enforcement officials near the explosion site. Pic: AP
The attorney general said in a follow-up post that agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are “on the ground to support”.
The mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, said the LAPD bomb squad has also responded to the scene.
“The thoughts of all Angelenos are with all of those impacted by this blast,” she said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the incident, his press office said in a post on X.
“The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services is in contact with the Sheriff’s Department and closely monitoring the situation, and has offered full state assistance,” it added.
The cause of the explosion is being investigated.
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