Saudi Arabia crashed to a 5-0 defeat in their opening match against Russia, and Uruguay’s esteemed strike partnership of Edinson Cavani and Luis Suárez threatens to further damage their goal difference on Wednesday. Can they avoid being added to the nominations for the worst World Cup teams?
Zaire 1974 Points 0, goal difference -14
After Zaire had been thumped by Yugoslavia 9-0, the words of Mobutu Sese Seko, the country’s president and brutal dictator, rang in the ears of the defender Mwepu Ilunga as Brazil’s Rivellino and Jairzinho chewed over a free-kick 20 yards from goal in their final group game. Mobutu’s message had been clear: if the squad intended to return home, losing to Brazil by more than three goals was non-negotiable. At 2-0 down in Gelsenkirchen, Ilunga wrote his name into World Cup folklore with some spectacular time‑wasting, as he put it, darting out of a five-man defensive wall to hoof the ball into the opposition half. He was booked. The game finished 3-0 and the first sub-Saharan team to qualify for a World Cup were never going to be forgotten in a hurry. They had opened by losing 2-0 to Scotland. Mobutu branded the performances as embarrassing and dropped the team’s funding but Zaire did at least return home safely.