Great sporting surprises: Upsetting the apple cart
Following Zambia’s incredible performance in the African Cup of Nations, The Courier looks at other odd-defying sporting feats
Goran Ivanisevic 2001
2001 Wimbledon Champ Ivenisevic on the hallowed turf. Photography: Getty Images
In the summer of 2001, Goran Ivanisevic won Wimbledon and in so doing became the lowest ranked player to ever win a Grand Slam. Despite having one of the best serves in the game, the Croat had previously struggled to win a major, often running into an imperious Pete Sampras at the business end of things. When he picked up a shoulder injury in 1999, it seemed his chance of glory had gone.
Goran’s injury struggles saw him slide to a ranking of 125 which meant that he required a wildcard to gain entry to the main draw for Wimbledon in 2001. He eased through the tournament and managed to overcome Tim Henman in five sets in the semi-final, a result which most British fans knew was never in doubt. In the final he defeated Pat Rafter in another epic match, 9-7 in the 5th set, to become the only wildcard entrant to win a Grand Slam to date. His story was so inspiring that it was echoed in the 2004 film Wimbledon, but the fact that Ivanisevic was able to win without the help of Kirsten Dunst made his achievement all the more remarkable.
New York Giants 2008
Two weeks ago, the New York Giants overcame the New England Patriots in one classic Super Bowl encounter. However, it was the Giants’ victory four years previously in the same fixture that is considered by most to be the greatest Super Bowl upset of all time.
Labelled one of the greatest teams in NFL history, the Patriots boasted a number of star players, including quarterback great Tom Brady and wide receiver Randy Moss. Comparatively, the Giants were lumbered with Eli Manning: the underachieving younger brother of Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning.
The statistics – and the Americans love statistics – illustrated the gulf between the two sides. Previously, the Giants had not won a playoff game in seven years. The Patriots were undefeated. Finally, the Giants had just one player selected for the ‘Pro Bowl’ (the fewest a Super Bowl team had ever had).
The match was scrappy. But with the Giants trailing 10-14, Manning lofted a perfect pass for receiver Plaxico Burress to score the winning touchdown with 35 seconds remaining. The Giants’ defence held firm to complete the greatest upset in Super Bowl history. Manning, now out of his brother’s shadow, was named MVP and went on to lead the Giants to glory once more in 2012.
Shaun Murphy 2005
Photography: Getty Images
Shaun Murphy is a household name in the world of snooker, having held a place in the top 10 of the world rankings for the past six years, accumulating over £1m in earnings throughout his 15-year professional career.
The man who turns 30 this year still retains the baby-faced smile which first accompanied his meteoric rise during the 2005 World Championship. Entering the tournament the 22 year old from Harlow was priced at a lengthy 150-1 to claim the prize and had never won a match at the Crucible.
Murphy, who turned pro at the age of 15 (and at that time was the youngest to do so) came through two qualifying rounds to reach the tournament and overcame former champions John Higgins, Steve Davis and Peter Ebdon on his way to the final. Matthew Stevens provided the opposition in the tournament’s climax and in a close match Murphy beat the Welshman and former Masters and UK winner 18-16 to conclude a series of upsets which were as unlikely as they were spectacular.
A previous unknown, Murphy has remained a constant figure in the upper echelons of the world rankings but he is yet to rediscover the scintillating form of eight years ago when he obliterated opponents with his brand of fearless, attacking snooker.
Greece 2004
2004 saw one of sport’s greatest ever shocks as rank outsiders Greece somehow overcame Europe’s elite to win the UEFA European Championship. The Grecians beat holders France in the quarter finals and hosts Portugal in the final to pull of a remarkable upset that nobody had foreseen.
Beginning with a more expansive passing style, the Greek gods battled their way to second place in a group containing Portugal, Spain and Russia, which they were arguably the least likely to qualify from.
In the knockout stages Greece were understandably more defensive but found an unstoppable formula against sides with far greater individual talent. Keeping it tight with their ageless goalkeeper, Antonios Nikopolidis, and the solid centre back pairing of Dellas and Kapsis, Otto Rehhagel’s men won all three of their knockout games 1-0, with all the goals coming from almost identical set pieces.
Given odds as long as 250-1 by some bookies, Greece’s feat has to go down as one of the most remarkable sporting upsets.
Buster Douglas 1990
In the mid 1980s, the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ cut through the boxing world like a chainsaw through a sapling. Mike Tyson had mauled his way through every top boxer in the heavyweight division, holding the World Championship undisputed for two and a half years prior to what should have been a routine victory over a journeyman opponent. However, no-one counted on James “Buster” Douglas to deliver what is still regarded as one of the great boxing upsets.
Contrary to most of Tyson’s opponents, Douglas went on the offensive and used his telling reach advantage to keep his distance and prevent Tyson building up the flurry of punches that had devastated fighters such as Michael Spinks and Frank Bruno. As the tenth round began, the precision jabs from Douglas had done their damage and allowed him inside Tyson’s guard to deliver a devastating combination that put him on the canvas for the first time in his career. He failed to beat the count, making Douglas one of the most unlikely undisputed World Champions ever.
Sadly for Douglas, the similarities with Rocky ended here. He lost the first defence of his titles against an in-form Evander Holyfield and never held a world title again. Tyson attempted to rebuild his career but found himself jailed in 1992, taking away many of his best years.
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