Upsets. Every sport has them, and they are what make soccer so exciting. For Manchester United and Chelsea, however, upsets left them with packed bags and disappointing trips home from the FA Cup. Stunning performances by Barnsley and Portsmouth ousted two of the Premier League leaders from England's most prestigious tournament.
Saturday's FA Cup surprises began with Portsmouth's 1-0 victory over Manchester United. Expecting a triumph as easy as their 2-0 win over Portsmouth in January, nothing seemed to go Man. U.'s way. A controversial tackle in the penalty box against Cristiano Ronaldo infuriated United's manager, Alex Ferguson, who exclaimed to MUTV, "It's absolutely ridiculous. I cannot explain it."
Later, Tomasz Kuszczak replaced Edwin Van der Sar in goal after an injury. The most crucial moment of the game was when Kuszczak fouled Portsmouth's Milan Baros in the 78th minute. Since any foul by the last man back results in an automatic red card, Kuszczak was sent off despite Man. U's protests that Wayne Rooney and Anderson were behind him. Rio Ferdinand was left to defend the penalty, and Muntari put it away nicely to give Portsmouth the vital goal.
After the game, Man. U. had plenty of excuses, including unjust refereeing and simple bad luck. Ronaldo had his own theory, blaming the league's unwillingness to protect its skill players. "After what happened to the Arsenal player Eduardo da Silva [who was injured in Arsenal's game against Birmingham]," Ronaldo said in an article published by the BBC, "I am scared to do my skills."
Excuses aside, a player of Ronaldo's skill should always perform to his potential and focus on the game. The consequence of doing anything else is what happened to Man. U. this weekend.
The upset winds reached the Chelsea and Barnsley match, too. Barnsley shocked Liverpool three weeks ago, but not many people thought that their momentum could carry over to another astonishing victory for a Championship team against a Premier League giant. Barnsley, however, proved its worth in a superb performance against Chelsea that had far less controversy than Manchester United's matchup.
Barnsley's Kayode Odejayi knocked in a header to lift his team to victory in the 66th minute, leaving the Chelsea squad open-mouthed and dumbstruck. Chelsea spent the rest of the game battling hard for an equalizer. But it never came, and Barnsley is in the semifinals for the first time since 1912.
As if the FA Cup sixth round needed any more surprises, Championship team Cardiff City defeated the Premier League club Middlesbrough, 2-0, making this weekend one that the Premiership teams will want to forget.
Upsets like these make international soccer what it is. It's true that any team in the Premiership has the potential to beat any other, but no one could have predicted that Man. U. and Chelsea, two favorites to win the FA Cup, would lose on the same day.
Moreover, three of the four Championship teams in the tournament are still alive. There is a very good chance that for the first time in over 20 years, a Championship team will win the highest-class tournament in Britain and one of the most important competitions in Europe.
Upsets prove the necessity of heart on the soccer field. On paper, teams like Portsmouth, Barnsley and Cardiff have no chance of defeating the top teams. Consumed with the memory of a 4-0 win over Arsenal in the fifth round, Man. U. thought it could sail its way to the final, especially since Chelsea seemed to be the only real threat. But some players like Ronaldo cared more about how the game was refereed than how it was played, and Man. U.'s smooth sailing hit a tsunami. This week's results show the absence of heart from the Premier League heroes and an abundance of it in the lower-ranked teams.
