The U.S. Olympic hockey team had no hope of defeating the Soviet Union. Villanova could not possibly stop Georgetown. Buster Douglas was, at best, a 42-to-1 long shot against Mike Tyson. Wrestler Rulon Gardner would not last an Olympic round against Aleksandr Karelin, who hadn’t lost in 13 years. Unseeded Italian Roberta Vinci couldn’t stop Serena Williams’s ride to a calendar-year Grand Slam.
Upsets have captured the sporting public for generations, but most have been one-off shockers, lightning-in-a-bottle moments that paralyze us because of their suddenness.
On Monday, Leicester City — an English soccer club only technically in the same league as wealthy Manchester United and Arsenal – won the Premier League with a sustained upset over nine glorious months. The humble Foxes won their first top-flight championship in 132 seasons and became just the sixth team to win the Premier League in the past 23 years.
[Leicester City’s astounding Premier League win a huge loss for British bookmakers]
They completed the remarkable act without stepping on the field. After missing a chance to clinch the title on their own volition Sunday at Manchester United, they watched their closest pursuer, north London’s Tottenham Hotspur, relinquish a two-goal lead in the second half and settle for a 2-2 draw against southwest London’s Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
With two weekends left, Leicester has an insurmountable seven-point lead, putting to rest a race that began late last summer with the usual collection of deep-pocketed contenders. Leicester began the season facing 5,000-to-1 odds of finishing atop the most popular sports league on the planet. Lincoln Chafee had a better chance of winning the Democratic Party’s nomination.
Seven years ago, Leicester was playing third-division soccer. Last spring, the Foxes were last in the 20-team Premier League, in danger of relegation to the second tier. But with a group of largely overlooked players, they have gone 22-3-11, including 7-0-3 in the past 10 games when the pressure was mounting.
Their lovable coach, 64-year-old Claudio Ranieri, had flown home to Italy on Sunday to have lunch with his mother, who was celebrating her 96th birthday. He reportedly had jetted back to the east Midlands in time to watch the Chelsea-Spurs match. The players gathered at forward Jamie Vardy’s house.
Spurs blew a chance to win at Chelsea for the first time in 26 years and trim Leicester’s lead to five points.
Tottenham went ahead of the defending champions in the 35th minute when Erik Lamela provided a penetrating pass to Harry Kane, who toed the offside line, collected the ball and touched around advancing goalkeeper Asmir Begovic for his league-leading 25th goal.
Nine minutes later, Chelsea’s sloppy play allowed Spurs to take possession in dangerous position. Christian Eriksen pushed a through ball to Heung Min Son for a near-post finish and 2-0 lead.
With the addition of Eden Hazard, the Blues rushed to life after intermission, intent to end their London rivals’ championship hopes. They halved the deficit in the 58th minute when Gary Cahill settled Willian’s corner kick and finished from eight yards.
A match that seemed in hand grew tense and urgent. Chelsea lost its momentum, then regained it, narrowly missing a chance to finish a cross through the six-yard box in the 75th minute. Spurs substitute Ryan Mason could’ve eased the pressure in the 76th minute but Begogic thwarted his low effort from the top of the penalty area. Then in the 83rd, Chelsea broke out of its own end. Oscar escaped trouble in midfield and supplied Diego Costa at the top of the box. Costa slipped the ball to his left to Hazard, who curled a one-timer to the far upper corner.
Chelsea supporters were in glee, chanting, “Les-ter! Les-ter!”
Emotions spilled over on the field, leading to several ugly incidents.
When referee Mark Clattenburg’s whistle sounded for the final time, Leicester’s impossible dream had come true.
[The scene at Vardy’s house:]
