So one example of one of the all time biggest upsets ever, and one example of one of the all time biggest blowouts today is what you're using to make a point? lol...You discount the use of S. Korea in WC 2002 as a one-off example of a closing gap, then tuh make your point, yuh use a one-off example of North Korea...yuh eh playin' yuh good oui....Hungary a so called power house in the 1950's hold a 6-0 cutarse from Russia in the 1986 World Cup, and yuh never hear from them since... Point is, anybody could get a blowout- so that example eh saying nutten by itself plus the score in that 1966 game was 1-0.
In addition, nobody eh saying that non traditional football powerhouses ent getting blow out from the beginning of time to the present day. People are saying that the degree of competitiveness of the smaller teams has improved over time on average.
I suppose a comprehensive study is what it would take to make a compelling argument either way...until someone produces it, I think general consensus is that despite a somewhat unchanged status quo of football giants through time, there is a wider global breadth of competitive teams today (than "yesterday") who are capable of giving a traditional giant a good run for their money on the field... I imagine that this perception was born out of something reasonable.
Seeing that you on the topic of blowouts....look at Midknight post below:
If you consider that a blowout is a win by 3 goals or more, since the WC expand to 32 teams:
1st Round
Germany Saudi Arabia 8-0
USA Czech 0-3
Spain Ukraine 4-0
Germany 4 Australia 0
2nd Round
Brazil Morocco 3-0
Italy Cameroon 3-0
France South Africa 3-0
Netherlands South Korea 5-0
Argentina Jamaica 5-0
Brazil China 4-0
Portugal Poland 4-0
Argentina Serbia 6-0
Ukraine Saudi Arabia 4-0
South Africa Uruguay 0-3
Argentina South Korea 4-1
Portugal North Korea 7-0
3rd Round
Morocco Scotland 3-0
France Saudi Arabia 4-0
Bulgaria Spain 1-6
Costa Rica Brazil 2-5
Turkey China 3-0
Saudi Arabia Ireland 0-3
Ecuador Costa Rica 3-0
Of the 23 examples of blowouts provided (as defined as losses by 3 or more goals)
3 or
13% of those examples were suffered by "traditional footballing countries" Bulgaria against Spain, Poland against Portugal, Ukraine against Spain.
The other
20 or
87% were suffered by non traditional footballing countries against "traditonal footballing countries". The last one being TODAY.
I don't see this as the EXCEPTION. This is consistent.
IMO, yes non traditional footballing countries have improved, but it's not like the traditional footballing countries have remained static. They too have improved. And so ther gap remains and the way to measure the gap is through results...not scores. All over the world, it's tougher to score goals. Teams play more defensively, similar tactics, technology plays a huge role, athletes are fitter, stronger, faster.
But traditonal teams still beating non traditional teams at every World Cup. Very little headway has been made despite talk to the contrary.
When non tradtional teams start consistenty beating traditional teams, then you can say the gap has closed.