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Spain: Breaking Down the World Cup Holders’ Chances of Repeating
Published: May 28, 2013
The first great Italian side of Giuseppe Meazza and Giovanni Ferrari, champions at home in 1934, became the first to accomplish the feat when they triumphed four years later in Paris, and Brazil’s title of 1962 followed up its 1958 win, where a 17-year-old Pele announced himself on the world stage with an unforgettable World Cup finals.
Twelve tournaments have since been contested, and in none of them did the trophy stay with the team that had won it the tournament before.
This is the history Spain are up against as they prepare for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. A point ahead of France in UEFA Qualification Group I, they have only Finland, Belarus and Georgia to play before December’s group stage draw, so at least their place in the finals would seem secure.
From there, however, nothing is certain, and more than a few World Cup holders have gone into the subsequent tournament with high hopes, only to fall flat on their faces.
The France team of 2002 springs immediately to mind.
Champions on home soil in 1998, they bowed out meekly in Korea and Japan—failing to score as much as a single goal.
In 1982 reigning champions Argentina also came well short of defending their title. They lost each of their second-round matches in Spain—to Italy and Brazil—and found the back of the net in neither.
Finally, 2006 winners Italy crashed out at the first hurdle four years ago in South Africa, winning none of its group-stage matches against Paraguay, Slovakia and New Zealand, with whom they could only manage a draw in Nelspruit.
Twenty-one days later Spain won the World Cup, and last July they became the first side ever to book-end the achievement with victories in the European Championship.
It’s that sort of staying p...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football
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