WORST FOOTBALL UPSETS OF ALL TIME

Football can be a game of dizzying highs and dramatic lows, often coming in quick succession. These emotional roller-coasters are all the more powerful when the outcome confounds the predictions made by experts.

Football upsets can come about when underdogs triumph against the odds, or when experienced teams snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Here are a few of the most impactful, enduring examples from throughout the history of the game.

2005 Champions League Final

For fans of AC Milan, this night was without a doubt one of the worst upsets that the club has ever faced. For supporters of Liverpool, it was a nail-biting game of unexpected glory.

After conceding a goal seconds after kick-off, Liverpool looked destined to lose during the first 45 minutes. The second half was a different story, with Milan losing their advantage in a flurry of energy and skill from the underdogs.

What had seemed like a foregone conclusion evaporated entirely at this point and the breathtaking penalty shootout that came after a grueling session of extra time, earning Liverpool a fifth European Cup against all odds.

With finals like this, it is no surprise that the Champions League has inspired games on sites like Casumo UK. Everyone wants to reflect a piece of the wonders and woes of the beautiful game, as exemplified by the incredible scenes from the homecoming celebrations.

2004 European Football Cup Championship

When the Euros got underway in 2004, Greece was not a national side that too many pundits, players or fans would have backed to make it past the group stages, let alone claw their way to the finals by the sheer discipline alone. The fact that they went on to win against host nation Portugal is an achievement that is still difficult to quantify.

Throughout the tournament, the Greek side managed to be something of a giant-slayer, seeing off titans like France in spite of their heaving trophy cabinets, then knocking out the Czech Republic at a time when they were among the favourites to win.

Even when the final against Portugal got underway, few could really believe that Greece would be capable of pulling off a miracle yet again. In the end, a single goal was all that the side needed to seal the deal.

World Cup 1966

While it is the English victory over West Germany in the final that remains the most talked-about aspect of the 1966 World Cup more than half a century later, a more significant upset was suffered by Italy earlier in the tournament.

They were pitched against the North Korean side populated with players who had a fraction of their experience. Even so, this is the kind of factor that the worst football upsets are built upon, and sure enough the team which was inferior on paper was able to rein victorious on the day, winning 1-0 and sending Italy home with their tails between their legs.

The fans back home were less than pleased with this performance, and the Italian players faced a barrage of thrown tomatoes when they got back to their motherland.

2014 Premier League

The Premier League has had its fair share of surprising upsets and unexpected victories over the years, so it is hard to pick just one. Perhaps the most satisfying in recent memory came back in September of 2014 when Leicester went 3-1 down to Manchester United, then managed to score 4 more goals to win the match 5-3.

While Leicester would take another season to really cement themselves in the history books with an outright league win, this victory stunned fans and was a sign of things to come.