Take a look at the upset matches of the European Football League where weak teams defeated the giants

In the European Football League, the "weak team"'s single-game reversal or upset defeat of the giants is full of drama and is the most extreme embodiment of the charm of football. These games are often accompanied by a winning streak, a shocking mistake, a goalkeeper's cheating, a star's explosion or a complete tactical victory. Here are some classic cases that have been recorded in history:

2016 Premier League: Leicester City 3-1 Manchester City

Background: This is a key battle in Leicester City's "Blue Fox Miracle" championship season. Manchester City is a luxurious and star-studded champion favorite (with Aguero, Silva, De Bruyne, etc.). Leicester City was still a relegation team before the season and although it was leading the standings at the time, it was still widely questioned.

Match: Manchester City scored the first penalty with Aguero. But Leicester City showed a suffocating quick counterattack and tough fighting spirit. Mahrez scored twice (a world wave, a calm shot), and Vardy added icing on the cake.

Result: Leicester City reversed against Manchester City 3-1.

Meaning: This victory greatly boosted Leicester's confidence in winning the championship, proved to the world that they are by no means a flash in the pan, and are one of the most critical victories on the road of "Blue Fox Miracle", and perfectly interprets the script of "grassroots" to overturn the wealthy families.

La Liga 2022: Girona 4-2 Barcelona

Background: As the La Liga new team/small club, Girona plays against Barcelona, ​​a cosmic team with superstars such as Messi (at the time), Suarez, Dembele and other superstars.

Match: Girona showed amazing courage and efficiency. Stuyani scored a hat trick (including a penalty kick), and Porto was icing on the cake. Although Barcelona scored two goals back by Suarez and Messi (penalties), Girona's offensive storm completely defeated Barcelona's defense.

Result: Girona beat Barcelona 4-2 in an upset.

Meaning: This is a classic battle between the ball and the super giants, showing the competitiveness of La Liga and the tenacity and attack power of Girona. Stuyani's hat trick made him famous in one battle.

2015 Copa del Rey Final: Athletic Bilbao 4-0 Barcelona

Background: Although Athletic Bilbao is a traditional powerhouse, in front of the peak Barcelona led by the MSN (Messi, Suarez, Neymar) group at that time, the gap in strength was huge. Barcelona is a strong contender for La Liga and Champions League titles.

Match: Athletic Bilbao launched a crazy press at the beginning, completely disrupting Barcelona's rhythm. Williams and Aduris (scoring twice) scored like a storm. Barcelona was sleepwalking throughout the game, with no power to fight back.

Result: Athletic Bilbao swept Barcelona 4-0 and won the Copa del Rey.

Meaning: This is one of the most overwhelming upsets in the history of the Cup final. Bilbao perfectly performed high-pressure tactics with football full of passion, strength and speed, completely defeating the arrogant universe team, becoming a tactical model of defeating the strong with the weak.

2004 European Cup Final: Greece 1-0 Portugal

Background: This is the ultimate upset at the final level of the international competition. The host Portugal has a golden generation (Figo, Rui Costa, Ronaldo) and the right time, place and people, and is the biggest favorite to win the championship. The Greek team's odds for winning the championship before the game were as high as 150, which was an absolute "bottom". They lost to Russia in the group stage and barely qualified with only the number of goals.

Match: Rehagel's Greek team plays disciplined defense and efficient set pieces to the extreme. The whole game was united, using iron barrel arrays and precise coordination to limit Portugal's luxurious attack line. In the 57th minute, Charistyas scored the goal with a corner kick and scored the winning goal.

Result: Greece defeated Portugal 1-0 and won the European Cup.

Meaning: This is the greatest myth of "David defeated Goliath" in football history. It is the pinnacle of the weak team creating miracles through extreme team discipline, tactical execution and spiritual will, and subverting people's traditional perception of the strength of football.

1998 Bundesliga Opening Game: Kaiserslautern 1-0 Bayern Munich

Background: Kaiserslautern was the Bundesliga champion (updated team), while Bayern Munich was the defending Bundesliga champion, with superstars such as Mattus and Elber, and the gap in strength is huge.

Match: The newly promoted team showed amazing combat effectiveness at home. At the end of the game, Kaiserslautern received a corner kick, Marshall headed the ball, and defender Ramzi scored the final goal in the melee in front of the goal.

Result: Kaiserslautern defeated Bayern Munich 1-0.

Meaning: This victory kicked off the "Kaisslautern Miracle" - this newly promoted team eventually won the Bundesliga championship that season! This opening victory over defending champion Bayern set the tone for this incredible season and is a landmark battle for the newly promoted team to overturn the overlord.

The first round of the 1978 European Champions League: Nottingham Forest 2-0 Liverpool

Background: Liverpool was the European overlord at that time (the defending champion) with superstars such as Daglish and Sones. Nottingham Forest is just the "middle-level" team in England's top league (although the defending champion) and is participating in the Champions League for the first time.

Match: Liverpool was tied 0-0 by Forest at home in the first leg. In the second leg at Forests, the Forests led by Claff defeated the arrogant Reds 2-0 with goals from Barlow and Robertson.

Result: Nottingham Forest eliminated Liverpool 2-0 in two rounds.

Meaning: This victory shocked European football. The Forest not only eliminated the defending champion Liverpool, but also eventually passed the opportunity and won the European Champions League championship that season! This is one of the greatest "lower" achievements in English football history and the starting point of the rise of the Forest Dynasty.

Why are these competitions so classic?

Huge strength/status gap: Weak teams are very different from giants in terms of resources, stars, and historical background.

Reversal/Up process: Often when a weak team is lagging behind or not favored, they can achieve a reversal or upset with tenacious will, efficient counterattack, set ball or goalkeeper's brave performance.

Keyness: Many games occur in cup finals, knockout stages, or league championship/relegation life and death battles, which is of great significance.

Legendary: The birth of eternal moments (such as Charistyas' header, Stuyani's hat trick, Leicester's counterattack storm), tactical myths (Greece, Bilbao) or the prologue to become a greater miracle (Kaisslautern, Nottingham Forest wins).

Spiritual symbols: They represent the most core values ​​of football - a lineup that never gives up, team strength, and tactical wisdom can defeat individual talents and money-stacked lineups.

The league system and cup system of European football provide a natural stage for this classic script of "weak defeats the strong". These games not only make fans excited, but also become legendary chapters that will never fade in football history.