West Germany v Algeria (1982) The mighty West Germans, boasting the likes of Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Stielike, were made to pay for ridiculing unfancied opponents and debutants Algeria during their group-stage meeting at the 1982 World Cup in Spain. West Germany manager Jupp Derwall famously said he would "jump on the first train back to Munich" if his side lost, but he did not stick to his promise as Algeria caused a huge upset by beating one of the tournament favourites 2-1 in Gijon. Rabah Madjer stunned the Germans with a 54th-minute opener, finding an empty net with a first-timer after making the most of a rebound after a fast-paced Algerian counter attack left the defence in disarray. Rummenigge equalised with a close-range finish in the 67th minute but Algeria had the last laugh, with the outstanding Lakhdar Belloumi restoring their advantage just one minute later. A series of intricate passes ended with Salah Assad finding Belloumi at the far post with a low cross for an easy tap-in as Algeria became the first African side to beat a European team at the World Cup. Algeria failed to get past the first round when West German notoriously beat Austria 1-0, sending the latter duo to the knockout phase amid match-fixing speculation. ## Morocco v Portugal (1986) Morocco became the first African side to reach the second round after remarkably finishing on top of a group that included England, Poland and Portugal. They held Poland and England to goalless draws before recording an impressive 3-1 victory over Portugal in Guadalajara to qualify for the knockout phase. FAR Rabat striker Abderrazak Khairi put the Moroccans ahead with a shot from the edge of the area after 19 minutes. He was on target again seven minutes later, making the most of a cross from Labid Khalifa to send a half-volley home from inside the area. Striker Krimau put the result beyond doubt on the hour mark when he ghosted behind the defence to latch onto a neat pass from Mohammed Timoumiand stroke past the advancing keeper. Portugal scored a consolation through Diamantino 10 minutes from time but it was too little, too late as Morocco held on to make history. ## Cameroon v Argentina (1990) Reigning world champions Argentina, led by 1986 World Cup hero Diego Maradona, were expected to enjoy a smooth ride against a Cameroon side which mainly included players from the domestic league and some low-key French clubs. Cameroon adopted a physical approach to the game in a bid to stifle Argentina's forwards, committing many fouls which led to the second-half dismissal of Andre Kana-Biyik. Despite their numerical disadvantage, the Indomitable Lions opened the scoring against the run of play when Francois Omam-Biyik, Kana-Biyik's brother, towered above the Argentinean defence to meet a deflected free-kick. Argentina keeper Nery Pumpido should have easily dealt with it but he instead fumbled the ball into his own net, sparking wild celebrations among the Cameroonian crowd at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in Milan. Cameroonian had Benjamin Massing sent off towards the end to finish with nine men, but their heroic defending allowed them to keep their lead intact and cause one of the World Cup's greatest upsets. ## Senegal v France (2002 World Cup) African underdogs once again claimed the scalp of a world champion when debutants Senegal stunned France in the opening game of the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan. France missed inspirational playmaker Zinedine Zidane, the hero of their 1998 World Cup triumph on home soil, through injury but their squad was still strong enough to overcome Senegal, boasting the likes of Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet and Youri Djorkaeff. However, they appeared largely toothless and lethargic, creating a few openings that included a powerful shot from Trezeguet which struck the post. Senegal's pace upfront caused menace to France backline and forward El Hadji Diouf repeatedly got the better of defender Frank Leboeuf. One of Diouf's darting runs down the left saw him superbly skip past Leboeuf before sending in a low cross that eluded keeper Fabien Barthez and found midfielder Papa Bouba Diop after 30 minutes. Diop's initial effort struck the body of Barthez but he made no mistake on the rebound to open the scoring. Senegal held on for a memorable victory and embarked on a remarkable run that saw them reach the quarter finals before losing to eventual bronze medallists Turkey. ## (For more sports news and updates,followAhramOnlineSportson Twitter at@AO_Sportsand on Facebook atAhramOnlineSports.) http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/103389.aspx
