Upsets might have become a common feature in the ongoing FIFA World Cup in Qatar, but former Portuguese skipper Luis Figo does not see this trend sustaining for the entire duration of the tournament. Addressing a special media roundtable, Figo, who is in India as a part of Viacom18 Sports expert panel for the World Cup, suggested that making it past the group stages will be a favourable outcome for sides like Saudi Arabia who have made heads turn with their performances early on in the competition.

Underdog Prospects

“Sincerely, I don’t think so (that underdogs will progress deep into the tournament). Because, to achieve semi-final, final, I don’t think (it is possible). The first step is to pass the phase of group and if that happen then I think they did a great tournament,” Figo said during the interaction on Saturday. The 50-year-old asserted that repeating one-off victories might not be plausible for such sides. Figo praised Iran for defeating Wales 2-0 in Al-Rayyan on Friday but simultaneously cautioned that even the best side in the word can be beaten in such singular face-offs.