The biggest charm of football lies in its uncertainty, many teams with luxurious squads have not been able to achieve good results due to poor performance, bad luck and other reasons, on the contrary, some teams have a mediocre lineup, but have achieved unexpected good results, they are called "dark horses".
Dark horses are also an indispensable element of the World Cup football match, which team is the strongest dark horse in the history of World Cup football?
Welcome to add, 2002 South Korea is not to mention.
1994 FIFA World Cup Bulgaria
Despite having world-class superstar Stoichkov, as well as barakov, Ivanov, Kostadinov and other powerful players. But Bulgaria's overall strength can only be regarded as the middle european level, and the best positioning for them is the "spoiler" in the World Cup.
And they only made it through the play-off format that they made it through the thrill of reaching the final round of the 1994 World Cup.
Stojchikov is the undisputed soul of the Bulgarian team, known as the "Thunderbolt Fire" in football, strong body, amazing speed and explosiveness, first-class kung fu on feet and on the head, excellent awareness of grabbing points and seizing opportunities, especially his left foot, good at strong long-range shooting, free kick kung fu is also a must, Stojchikov scored 6 goals in the 1994 World Cup and ranked first in the top scorer list.
His partner Kostadinov, the best foreign player in the Portuguese Premier League, was also very threatening on the pitch, and it was his outstanding performance that helped Bulgaria reach the World Cup finals. Barakov is the core of the team's midfield, a famous left-handed player with a wide field of vision, excellent organization and scheduling ability, accurate and creative passing, and his strong ball control ability, good at dribbling, long-range shooting and set-piece kung fu, and was selected for the best team in the 94 World Cup.
The defensive core Ivanov leader is full of temperament and is a typical defensive commander. Bulgaria also have a very good goalkeeper, their field captain Mikhainov. Bulgaria won and lost one and two losses in the group stage, only to pass the thrill of third place, but in the knockout stage, it first eliminated Mexico by penalty shootout, and then upset the defending champions Germany 2:1 to reach the final four.
However, they were defeated by the old Italy team in the semi-finals and did not qualify for the final, and they defeated Sweden 0:4 as substitutes in the third place battle.
1994 FIFA World Cup Sweden
Swedish players are generally known for their excellent physical fitness and tactical qualities, and the team is tough and tough, known as "Viking".
In the 1994 World Cup, Sweden played well, reaching the final four again after 36 years, and many of the players in the team performed very well. Among them, Thomas Brolin is even more amazing, he is even one of the best performers in this World Cup, selected for the best team.
The 24-year-old Brolin has a skilled foot technique and footwork, excellent passing, flexible running position, excellent reading of the game and the overall situation, and Brolin scored three goals in the 94 World Cup.
Martin Dahlin was another highlight of Sweden, scoring four goals and being the team's top scorer. Kennett Anderson, a high-school striker with a height of 1.96 meters, has excellent header ability and obvious air superiority.
Defensive mid-stalwart Patrick Anderson is tough and tenacious, and his centre-back combination with BjörkLund is very solid.
Substitute striker Henrik Larson also showed his potential.
Sweden defeated Russia in the group stage, drew with Brazil and Cameroon, and emerged as second place. After that, they eliminated Saudi Arabia and Romania to reach the final four, but unfortunately they were killed by Brazil's Romario in the semi-finals, and won the competition for the third place with a 4:0 victory over another big "dark horse" Bulgaria.
1998 FIFA World Cup Croatia
Although the team has Davao Sukh, Boban, Prosinecki, Garni and many other long-established stars, and some players have participated in the World Cup with the former Yugoslavia, for Croatia, the Summer of France in 1998 was their first World Cup since independence.
Although they did not achieve good results in Europe in 1996, Croatia showed their potential to people, and head coach Blažević tailored a 352 formation of quick counterattack tactics for the team according to the characteristics of the players. The back line is dominated by veterans Stimac and Bilic, and the young Simic has also been entrusted with the role of a major player in the main squad.
The "fast horse" Garni was placed in the left forward position, and he was an important weapon for Croatia in the rapid counterattack.
Defender-turned-Soledo serves as a defender to strengthen the defensive hardness of the midfield, and AC Milan star Boban is the commander of the Croatian midfield, he has both skills and footwork, a broad vision, a good overall view, a very creative pass, and a first-class organizational and offensive ability.
Real Madrid star Davao Souk led the front, he is a world-class technical shooter, the "violin-playing left foot" is even more fascinating, known as the "golden left foot", in the 98 World Cup personally scored 6 goals, won the best scorer.
Prochinnetsky, Europe's best young player, who was one of the "three musketeers" of the former Yugoslavia, served as Croatia's "super substitute".
Croatia finished second in the group stage with two wins and one loss, first beating Romania 1-0 in the knockout stage, then beating Germany 3-0 to advance to the final four. The semi-final match against hosts France was reversed with a 1-0 lead, with a 2-1 win over the Netherlands in the third-place battle.
2002 FIFA World Cup Turkey
2002 was Turkey's second Appearance at the World Cup after a gap of 48 years.
Although the 2002 World Cup was only their second World Cup trip, Turkey, with the core players of the Turkish Super League hegemon Galatasaray as the team, as well as a group of stars playing for the top five european leagues such as Hakan-Souk, Basturk, Emre, Nihat and Yumit Davara, is not bad.
He performed well at Euro 2000, reaching the quarter-finals. At the 2002 Fifacence World Cup, Turkey adopted a flexible 352 and 532 formation, and goalkeeper Rustu performed well, second only to German goalkeeper Kahn in this World Cup.
The backline of Alpay, Brent and Fatih is not well-known, but it is very practical, and in front of them there is a fierce defensive and tenacious Tugai who is responsible for protection. Yumit Davara, who plays for AC Milan, plays as a right-back, and he does not hesitate to run up and down every game, supporting the team's entire right side of the offensive and defensive tasks, and his cross is also an important offensive weapon for the team.
The midfield duo are two small men from Bayer Leverkusen's Basturk and International Milan's Emre, who, despite their height flaws, are tenacious players.
Emre's delicate footwork, excellent passing and set-piece skills, responsible for organization, scheduling, Basturk dribbling skill, breakthrough sharp, responsible for the tandem midfield attack and the last pass.
Center Forward Hakan Sukh is the captain of the Turkish court and the leader of the team, he has reached 1 meter 91, his head skills are outstanding, his air superiority is obvious, and he has a high tactical role as a "bridgehead" in the front.
Under his control, Hassan Sass, Ilkhan and Nihat all played wonderfully.
Turkey stood out from the group with Brazil, Costa Rica and China.
After qualifying, he eliminated the host Japan and the "dark horse" Senegal in a row to reach the final four. Defeated by Brazil in the semi-finals and missing out on the final, he defeated South Korea 3:2 and finished third in the World Cup in a historic way.