Bizarre sports results

[tobydawq]

Inspired by a group in this year's Europa League where two draws in the final round in Group F could have ensured that Lazio and Sturm Graz would advance to the next round both with a negative goal score while Feyenoord and FC Midtjylland would leave the competition both with a positive goal score, I wanted to open this thread.

Alas, it ended with wins for Midtjylland and Feyenoord who advanced in the end but the group still stood out with all four teams finishing on 8 points which is remarkable but not mind-boggling.

A good football example I can think of is the 1998 Allsvenskan which was won by AIK Stockholm who was the team who scored the fewest goals in that season of all of the 14 teams in the league. I would think that is an unprecedented achievement in the entire football history (and unrepeatable).

Do any of you have other nuggets where a team or player defies the statistics and emerges triumphant? Or the other way around?

 

[Red Rick]

Steve Bradbury winning Olympic Gold after all his rivals crashed each other out

 

[BigCoward]

1937/38 Season, Man City were related despite being reigning champions and having scored the most goals in the league.

 

[BigCoward]

Steve Bradbury winning Olympic Gold after all his rivals crashed each other out

Like Nibali winning the tour (joke, that was the best ever Nibali by a huge margin).

 

[RedheadDane]

1937/38 Season, Man City were related despite being reigning champions and having scored the most goals in the league.

Who were they related to?

 

[tobydawq]

Who were they related to?

They were relegated...

 

[rallybanana]

Spain needing to beat Malta by 11 goals to qualify for Euro 1984 ahead of the Netherlands....and winning 12-1....their largest ever win in a competitive match.

Watch: Was the Malta team that lost 12-1 to Spain drugged at half-time? (timesofmalta.com)

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Jon Bois and Secret Base as a whole is made for stuff like this - at least if you follow/understand enough about American sports.

This is an entire video on how the 2010 San Diego Chargers were the #1 ranked offense and the #1 ranked defense in the NFL that season... but ended on a 9-7 record and failed to make the playoffs.

 

[RedheadDane]

I suppose the UEFA Euro 1992 was quite bizarre, considering the winners only got in the tournament because another country went into civil war.

 

[Red Rick]

Spain needing to beat Malta by 11 goals to qualify for Euro 1984 ahead of the Netherlands....and winning 12-1....their largest ever win in a competitive match.

Watch: Was the Malta team that lost 12-1 to Spain drugged at half-time? (timesofmalta.com)

Reminds me of WC 2018

*** Advocaat said "Sweden doesn't beat Luxembourg by 8 goals" after France drew Lux 0-0.

Sweden then won 8-0.

 

[tobydawq]

Reminds me of WC 2018

*** Advocaat said "Sweden doesn't beat Luxembourg by 8 goals" after France drew Lux 0-0.

Sweden then won 8-0.

Mean that his name is censored.

 

[rallybanana]

In the 1990 World Cup Cameroon were the only team in Group B with a negative goal difference but still finished top of the group.

 

[YavorD]

1994 World Cup.
Mexico, Italy, Ireland and Norway all finished with 4 points and 0 goal difference.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Not quite results, but I saw this video and thought it was absurd enough to belong here: Andrew McCutchen's statlines climb to god-like status whenever he is in the presence of........ furries.

 

[King Boonen]

Not quite results, but I saw this video and thought it was absurd enough to belong here: Andrew McCutchen's statlines climb to god-like status whenever he is in the presence of........ furries.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Nothing against Furries - I think they are harmless and as long as they are consenting adults I don't really give a crap. But I do find their proclivities rather amusing.

 

[rallybanana]

1994 World Cup.
Mexico, Italy, Ireland and Norway all finished with 4 points and 0 goal difference.

Another interesting stat to do with this group....

In the Italy vs Mexico game Daniele Massaro scored his first international goal, 12 years and 2 months after making his international debut for Italy. There can't be too many strikers who had to wait that long to get their first goal for their country.