In terms of FIFA rankings, Slovakia just secured the biggest upset in the history of the UEFA European Football Championships (EUROs).
The international soccer team defeated Belgium 1-0 on Monday evening. When Slovakia man Ivan Schranz scored in the seventh minute, not many would have given his team a chance of holding onto the lead until half time, never mind the end of the match – but that is just what they did.
Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku actually put the ball in the back of the net twice in the second half
Belgium did their best to prevent the Slovakians from claiming the win. Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku actually put the ball in the back of the net twice in the second half, but both times the goals were ruled out by VAR. The first was offside and a handball in the buildup ruled out the other.
Going into the EUROs, Belgium were third in the FIFA rankings. Meanwhile, Slovakia were one of the worst ranked teams in the tournament, ranked at 48th. In all of EUROs history, it’s the biggest ranking gap between two teams in which the loser has come out on top.
Of course, this meant anyone who happened to back Slovakia made a tidy profit. Belgium were -210 to take the win, the draw +340, and Slovakia +600. That means if you put $100 on Slovakia before the game you would have earned $600 in profit.
Slovakia are well positioned in their group after securing the win. Romania sit first after beating Ukraine 3-0, while Slovakia are second. With just the weaker outfits of Romania and Ukraine to play though, Slovakia have a good chance of progressing from the group stage.
A bet on Slovakia to win the entire tournament will get you odds of +50000. Belgium are still +2200 despite the early slip up.