World Cup column: Conflicting feelings on the day of the underdog
The underdog is the real winner at every major sporting competition. They have neither pressure to succeed nor expectation to live up to. Neutrals adore them and even opponents begrudgingly admire them. It is rare that their name ultimately ends up on the trophy come tournament’s end, but the capturing of hearts and minds can be an even greater prize.
The underdog is usually the pet you have always dreamed of; well-mannered and respectful yet unwaveringly determined and fiercely loyal. It will sit on your lap as you dream of tales of unlikely victories from yesteryear but is still game for confrontation when called upon. The underdog is effectively a vessel for which you can project all of your unlikely ambition upon.
Australia were very much this version of the underdog as they tussled courageously with world champions France in their Group D opener at the Al Janoub Stadium last night. They were brave, they were committed, and they were ultimately beaten relatively comfortably by a superior side despite taking a surprise lead.
Graham Arnold’s side had their moments to remember. Jackson Irvine, formerly of Hull City and Burton Albion, headed against a post when there was just a single goal separating the teams. 30-year-old, 11-cap winger Craig Goodwin will be able to tell his grandchildren that he gave his country the lead against the tournament holders in his first ever World Cup appearance.
It can often be even more enchanting for an underdog to fall just short rather than come out on top. Success is usually fleeting and glory often lacks satisfaction. For how long can an underdog remain an underdog should they start winning? Always having the story of that time you took a shock lead against the World Cup holders is capable of producing hypothetical scenarios so captivating the real thing could never possibly match up.
But there can also be another type of underdog. One that snarls and barks and bites. One that is more focused on proving its worth than earning admirers. For all their on-field wonder, the unavoidable political context associated with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia made it fairly straightforward to pathologize them as this form of plucky upstart both during and after their shock win against Argentina.
81 men were executed on a single day in March in the country, according to Human Rights Watch. The persistent and disturbing maltreatment of human rights activists and dissidents is rightfully a stain on the country’s global reputation, and an ongoing bombing campaign in Yemen has unlawfully killed and wounded thousands of innocent civilians.
The Saudi Arabian team were brave and aggressive in their belief-defying 2-1 victory; a succession of disallowed Argentinian goals for offsides of varying fractionality possibly a symptom of just how courageous they were willing to be with and without the ball. They scored two brilliantly taken goals of their own in the second half and defended in the dying moments with a determination that even other great underdog sides of the past would envy.
Herve Renard and his players deserve immense credit. As the clock ticked down and the impossible inched ever closer to materialising, every block, tackle and clearance produced by a green shirt became even more heroic.
However, it was impossible to fully ingratiate yourself with this upset of epic proportions. An undeniable feeling of discomfort accompanied the instinctive want to see a nation that has won just three games in their entire World Cup history defeat the second favourites for this year’s iteration – one of the clearest signs yet that this tournament is definitively proving that any separation between football and politics is imaginary.
This historic feat even took place in a country that was subject to a Saudi-backed blockade less than two years ago. Attempting to rank the most despicable of the nations competing at this tournament would be inconsiderate to those they have wronged, and likely take the best part of an eternity, but Saudi Arabia would undeniably be near the top of any list.
The team’s victory will doubtless be used as a propaganda tool. The decision of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to declare a national holiday in celebration was proof of just how much ‘class’ he has in the opinion of exactly the sort of social media commentators you would expect, but is no more than a murderous dictator briefly moonlighting as a populist politician.
This World Cup is still young and other underdogs will emerge in the matches to come. We can only hope that their attempts to upset the odds will be easier to be charmed by.
