Saudi Arabia crashed to a 5-0 defeat in their opening match against Russia, and Uruguay’s esteemed strike partnership of Edinson Cavani and Luis Suárez threatens to further damage their goal difference on Wednesday. Can they avoid being added to the nominations for the worst World Cup teams?
Zaire 1974
Points 0, goal difference -14
After Zaire had been thumped by Yugoslavia 9-0, the words of Mobutu Sese Seko, the country’s president and brutal dictator, rang in the ears of the defender Mwepu Ilunga as Brazil’s Rivellino and Jairzinho chewed over a free-kick 20 yards from goal in their final group game. Mobutu’s message had been clear: if the squad intended to return home, losing to Brazil by more than three goals was non-negotiable. At 2-0 down in Gelsenkirchen, Ilunga wrote his name into World Cup folklore with some spectacular time‑wasting, as he put it, darting out of a five-man defensive wall to hoof the ball into the opposition half. He was booked. The game finished 3-0 and the first sub-Saharan team to qualify for a World Cup were never going to be forgotten in a hurry. They had opened by losing 2-0 to Scotland. Mobutu branded the performances as embarrassing and dropped the team’s funding but Zaire did at least return home safely.
El Salvador 1982
Points 0, goal difference -12
A 10-1 pummelling by Hungary in their opener (the most goals conceded in a World Cup match) set the tone. The war-torn country arrived as heroes in Spain but were shunned on their return; the 36-year-old manager Mauricio Rodríguez was blacklisted and never coached again. Qualifying for the World Cup was a miracle but their preparation was badly hampered; they landed three days before that humbling in Elche – in which the substitute Laszlo Kiss scored a seven-minute hat-trick – without their full squad, two popular players jettisoned in favour of officials at the last moment. For those who did make it, there were not enough tracksuits or balls. Politics ruled. “The country was in deep suffering and we had the pressure of trying to reduce it,” the midfielder Mauricio Alfaro said. Before their second game they sought to restore some confidence by rising to the challenge offered by the waiters at the team’s hotel. They duly stuffed them before masterclasses in damage limitation against Belgium (1-0) and Argentina (2-0). Nevertheless, they returned home humiliated.
Saudi Arabia 2002
Points 0, goal difference -12
It was impossible for Nasser al-Johar’s side to recover from being demolished 8-0 by Germany in Sapporo. It was a defeat compounded by Oliver Bierhoff’s toe-poked daisy-cutter from distance, by which point Miroslav Klose had a hat-trick. That performance will live as one of international football’s worst. It was not supposed to matter anyway, for Johar had been assured his job was safe regardless of events. But raw and painful defeats to Cameroon (1-0) and Mick McCarthy’s Republic of Ireland (3-0) put paid to such promises. Saudi Arabia were the first team sent packing and departed without scoring.
China 2002
Points 0, goal difference -9
China have since pumped billions into football with the aim of establishing the country as a superpower, a hotbed of tomorrow’s talent. Yet their first World Cup – held in South Korea and Japan – proved an ordeal, pitted as they were against the eventual winners Brazil and semi-finalists Turkey, together with Costa Rica. They possessed a little knowhow in the shape of Li Tie and Sun Jihai, formerly of Everton and Manchester City respectively, but a 4-0 defeat by a Brazil team including Roberto Carlos, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo showed a gulf in class. It was a learning curve for their old-school manager too, with Bora Milutinovic failing to reach the knockout stage for the first time after success with Costa Rica, Mexico, Nigeria and the USA.
North Korea 2010
Points 0, goal difference -11
France memorably imploded in South Africa eight years ago but only North Korea, ranked 105th at the time, were subjected to a six-hour dressing down and accused of “betraying” the nation, as well as their leader Kim Jong-il and his son and heir, prompting fears over the safety of the manager, Kim Jong-hun. Jong Tae-se and An Yong-hak got off lightly though, heading straight back to Japan where they played their club football. Fifa launched an investigation into Pyongyang’s alleged punishment. Things had looked reasonably promising after a 2-1 defeat by Brazil in their opening match – arguably the biggest mismatch in World Cup history. Maicon smashed home from an improbable angle and Elano doubled their lead before Ji Yun-nam cut the margin of defeat in the 89th minute, sparking wild celebrations. But, after that came a 7-0 humbling by Portugal, capped by Cristiano Ronaldo, before a 3-0 defeat by Ivory Coast.
