There are many things that give football players morale in matches. Home support has always been considered a 12th player in a home team. FIFA World Cup has witnessed many teams progress in the tournament because of the huge fan support behind them. Here are five teams that did well because of home/fans support:
Russia in 2018Russia World Cup has been of many surprises. There are many teams that were eliminated early from the tournament even after rated among the top contestants. However, Russia performed well in the tournament thanks to their home support. No one expected them to reach the quarter-finals of this tournament.
Japan/South Korea in 2002In 2002, the World Cup was held jointly in Japan and Korea. Both the two nations strived well in the tournament in front of their enthusiastic fans. They both topped their group stages. Korea went on up to the semi-finals where they got eliminated by German. No one had expected them to reach this far given the fact that Japan was last in the world cup in 1998, while Korea had never won in 14 of their last world cup matches.
France in 1998The home crowd propelled France to win in crucial matches against Italy and Croatia. They met Brazil in the tournament finals, where their home support overwhelmed the Brazil players. France won 3-0 to claim their first world cup.
Mexico in 1986Mexico had hosted the World Cup in 1970 but got eliminated in the quarter-finals by Italy. In 1986, it was time to redeem themselves. With over a million fans behind them, they played up to the quarter-finals where they met German. They held on up to the penalty-shootout, where they lost narrowly.
Argentina in 1978In 1978, Argentina had a team full of talents such as Mario Kempes and Leopoldo Luque. However, they had more than talent. They had a full support from home fans that propelled them into the finals or the tournament and even won it in extra time by beating Netherlands 3-1.
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