For the likes of Brazil and Argentina winning the World Cup is not only possible but also expected from their countrymen. On the other side of the spectrum there are the “minnows”, countries whose main accomplishment was merely making it to the World Cup finals. Such was the case with El Salvador in 1982.
El Salvador qualified for the World Cup in Spain after finishing as shock runners-up in the CONCACAF tournament ahead of regional powerhouse Mexico. Nothing much was expected of the Salvadorans who had previously made it to the World Cup in 1970 after the infamous “Soccer War” with Honduras. Ultimately they would quickly end their participation in Spain having conceded an unlucky thirteen goals in three matches including being on the short end of a 10-1 drubbing by Hungary. Yet the joy in Luis Ramirez’ face after scoring El Salvador’s lone goal epitomized the pride one nation had in its team who were happy just to be at the World Cup:
Online Sources- FIFA, Wikipedia, soccerblog.com, FIFA, YouTube
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