It started with Leicester City, veered to Iceland causing ‘Engexit’ and culminated in Portugal stunning coronation against the much fancied host nation France in Euro 2016.
The year 2016 will be remembered for its open embrace of unfancied sides. One surprise after the other was the order of happenings.
Portugal, a team that had only won a single game inside 90 minutes in the tournament, did the unthinkable. They beat France who had history on their side. At Stade de France, Les Bleus had won the 1998 World Cup as hosts and had also never lost at home in 18 major-tournament matches.
A first ever victory over France came when it mattered the most. What a way to atone for their heartbreak twelve years ago against an unfancied Greek team and also two previous losses against the French in 1984 and 2000 Euros semi-finals. They did it without their star man, Cristiano Ronaldo. They did it through unlikely hero, Eder, a flop at Swansea in the premier league.
Coach Fernando Manuel Fernandes da Costa Santos, a former Portugal defender had made history. He snapped a ten-game losing streak against the French by winning their first major trophy – Euro 2016. Seleccao das Quinas, Team of Shields, had the unwanted record of being the only team to have lost a final of Euro while hosting it.
Across the channel, Leicester City was declared the champions of English Premier League back in May leaving most pundits stunned. At the start of the league, bookmakers placed the club at 1/5000 to win the league. They were informed by their narrow escape from relegation the previous season and never saw anything, apart from fighting to starve off relegation as their maximum.
Most ardent gamblers shared the same opinion except for some few fans that placed their stakes. But even these fans withdrew their bets mid-season unsure of the club’s run. Managers ignored them and more so because of their status, team roster and their coach, Claudio Ranieri, who had never won a league title despite an expansive coaching career.
Come May, the team was declared winners of the most competitive league in the world by over ten points much to the consternation of the football world. The first underdog had been crowned. Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy, virtually unknown until then, were the unlikely heroes.
In Euros once again Iceland, a tiny island nation of roughly 330, 000 people had beaten England fair and square. A team that was ranked position 129 in 2012 had beaten the Three Lions not through a penalty lottery but through two clean goals during the 90 minutes after going behind to a Wayne Rooney’s penalty in the opening five minutes.
Over to Russia, FC Rostov was causing ripples in the Russian league. A team that had gone for five months without paying its players and was also involved in relegation mire the previous season only surviving through a play-off was only two points away from causing a shock seismic proportion. The financial minnows were ahead of perennial heavyweights and over spenders CSKA Moscow and Zenit St. Petersburg with ten games to go and had also beaten the eventual champions two nil at home.
But a common denominator to all these achievements comes in the shape of one factor – veteran tacticians. Fernando Santos is 61 years, Claudio Ranieri is 64, Kurban Berdyev of Rostov is 63 while Lars Lagerback of Iceland is 67 years old. Lesson – an old dog can still learn new tricks.
