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Croatia '98, Cameroon '90 & 15 iconic World Cup surprise packages

Guus Hiddink carried South Korea to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup when they co-hosted the tournament with Japan.
South Korea’s progression to the semi-final was aided by some dubious refereeing decisions as disallowed goals and dodgy red cards maintained their momentum before they were beaten 1-0 by Germany in the last four.

South Korea | 2002 | Semi-finals

Uruguay reached the semi-finals in 2010 in controversial fashion. They made it through a relatively easy group containing Mexico, South Africa and a France team that was falling apart before beating South Korea in the second round.
In the quarter-finals they faced Ghana and, with the score 1-1 in the final moments of extra-time, Luis Suarez was sent off after handling a goalbound shot, with Asamoah Gyan missing the resulting penalty.

Uruguay made the most of their good fortune to win the shoot-out before losing 3-2 to Netherlands in the semi-finals.

Uruguay | 2010 | Semi-finals

Sweden had a strong team heading into the 1994 World Cup with players such as Tomas Brolin and Henrik Larsson in the squad.
Many expected Sweden to perform well but nobody could have predicted them to reach the semi-finals, where they were only 10 minutes away from extra time when Romario struck for Brazil to settle the tie.

Sweden | 1994 | Semi-finals

Cameroon became the first African team to reach the quarter-finals in 1990 after illuminating the tournament in Italy.
From stunning holders Argentina in the opening game of the tournament, despite having two men sent off, to Roger Milla’s goals and corner-flag dancing, Cameroon were the story of the World Cup.

They were also less than 10 minutes away from reaching the semi-finals, only for a brace of questionable penalties converted by Gary Lineker helping England through following a thrilling 3-2 win.

 Cameroon | 1990 | Quarter-finals

North Korea shocked the world in 1966 by beating Italy 1-0 at Ayresome Park thanks to Pak Doo ik’s goal, which secured qualification from the group phase.
In the quarter-finals they met Portugal and it looked like another shock was on the cards when they raced into a 3-0 lead inside the opening 25 minutes. But Eusebio then scored four followed by a Jose Augusto goal to secure a 5-3 victory for Portugal and end North Korea’s stunning run.

North Korea | 1966 | Quarter-finals

During the first World Cup on African soil, Ghana reached the quarter-finals after overcoming the United States in extra-time in the second round.
Stand-out performances by Sulley Muntari and Asamoah Gyan led Ghana to last eight where they met Uruguay. They should have progressed to the semi-finals but a controversial Luis Suarez handball denied the Ghanaians at the end of extra-time and then Asamoah Gyan missed the resulting penalty.

Ghana | 2010 | Quarter-finals

Poland put in a performance to be proud of in 1982 as they reached the semi-finals of the tournament in Spain.
Inspired by Zbigniew Boniek, Poland topped their first-round group ahead of eventual champions Italy before claiming top spot in their second-round group ahead of the Soviet Union.

In the last four, Paolo Rossi’s brace earned Italy a 2-0 win, but Poland did at least claim third spot after edging out France.

 Poland | 1982 | Semi-finals

In the opening match of the 2002 World Cup, Senegal beat reigning champions and pre-tournament favourites France and then went unbeaten in the group to finish runners-up behind Denmark.
In the second round they beat Sweden with a golden goal before being knocked out in the same way by Turkey in the quarter-finals.

Senegal | 2002 | Quarter-finals

Poland were impressive during the 1974 World Cup, winning the same number of games as eventual champions West Germany.
The 1974 tournament had a format of two group stages, with Poland topping their first group by winning all three games against powerhouses Italy and Argentina, as well as a 7-0 thrashing of Haiti.

In the second group stage they were denied a place in the final by hosts West Germany who defeated them 1-0 in their final game before Poland beat Brazil in the third-place match.

 Poland | 1974 | Third place

Bulgaria started poorly in the 1994 World Cup after being beaten 3-0 by Nigeria in their opening game but they recovered to beat both Greece and Argentina to qualify from their group.
Carried through by Hristo Stoichkov, in the knockout stages they beat Mexico and Germany, via a memorable goal from Iordan Letchkov, to reach the semi-finals where a Roberto Baggio masterclass for Italy denied them a place in the final.

Stoichkov finished the tournament on six goals to win the Golden Boot.

Bulgaria | 1994 | Semi-finals

Belgium finished third in their group in 1986 behind hosts Mexico and Paraguay, but qualified for the knockout stages by being one of the best third-placed teams.
In the last 16, they eliminated the Soviet Union in extra time after a thrilling 4-3 victory before beating Spain on penalties in the quarter-finals after a 1-1 draw.

They ran into the Diego Maradona juggernaut in the semi-finals as the Argentine star’s brace settled that encounter before Belgium were beaten by France in the third-place play-off.

Belgium | 1986 | Semi-finals

Uruguay were the underdog winners of the 1950 World Cup.
Heading into their final game against hosts Brazil, it was winner-takes-all as a group-stage format was used to determine the winners of the competition.

Brazil were heavy favourites to win having scored 21 goals in their previous five matches in the tournament, including 13 in their opening two games of the final round, but a late goal by Alcides Ghiggia saw Uruguay crowned unlikely world champions for a second time.

Uruguay | 1950 | Winners

When England, Uruguay and Italy were all drawn alongside Costa Rica in Group D, everyone had eyes on the group because one of the big teams would be eliminated early.
It turned out that both England and Italy would miss out as Costa Rica topped the group unbeaten.

Stellar performances from Joel Campbell, Bryan Ruiz and Keylor Navas saw Costa Rica through against Greece on penalties in the second round.

But, in the quarter-finals, Costa Rica lost on penalties to the Netherlands after a 0-0 draw after Louis van Gaal brought on goalkeeper Tim Krul for the shoot-out.

Costa Rica | 2014 | Quarter-finals

Turkey surprisingly reached the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
In their opening group game against Brazil, they had Alpay Ozalan and Hakan Unsal controversially sent off late on, but they recovered from this setback to make it through to the last 16.

They beat co-hosts Japan 1-0 in the last 16 and another victory by that scoreline over Senegal, thanks to a golden goal, set up a rematch with Brazil, with the eventual champions edging through to the final via Ronaldo’s goal.

Turkey | 2002 | Semi-finals

Croatia qualified for their first World Cup in 1998 and they made a major impact in France, having reached the quarter-finals at Euro 96.
They boasted some of the best talent at the tournament and everything clicked for them in 1998 as Davor Suker and Robert Prosinecki were quality throughout the competition.

Croatia beat Romania and Germany on their way to the semi-finals, but a double from Lilian Thuram sent hosts France through to the final, while Slaven Bilic’s controversial reaction saw Laurent Blanc sent off.

Croatia | 1998 | Semi-finals

Croatia '98, Cameroon '90 & 15 iconic World Cup surprise packages | Goal.com

The World Cup is the perfect stage for an underdog to steal the spotlight, as the following unforgettable campaigns prove