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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Guardian sport

Heaviest loss suffered by a team en route to winning a major tournament?

Landon Donovan Paris Saint-Germain World Cup Brighton the Sun King Tom Reed Chelsea Football Liverpool Paris
Rocio Galvez (centre) and Olga Carmona (right) contemplate the 4-0 defeat to Japan in the World Cup group stage
Rocio Galvez (centre) and Olga Carmona contemplate the 4-0 defeat by Japan in the World Cup group stage – things would get better for Spain. Photograph: Hagen Hopkins/Fifa/Getty Images

Zero to hero

“Spain won the final of the Women’s World Cup despite losing 4-0 to Japan in the group stage. What’s the heaviest defeat that has been suffered by a team that went on to win a major tournament?” asks Alex White.

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