In soccer, there are many unpredictable results, some that border on surprising. However, there are some scores that are completely unprecedented, numbers that have been seen only a few times in history.
The biggest blowout in football history is AS Adema 149-0 Stade Olympique L'Emyrne, which happened in the Madagascar league in 2002. It holds the world record for the highest scoreline in any association football match, recognised by The Guinness Book of Records. The result came as part of a protest by the losing team during the match, but the scoreline was undoubtedly historic.
Those who attended the Barikadimy Stadium in the city of Toamasina on October 31, 2002, didn't know they were going to witness history. The match took place during the playoffs to determine the champion of the Madagascar league. SOE was already out of contention, but the players decided to protest due to adverse refereeing decisions that had taken the title out of their reach. For this reason, they scored the 149 goals into their own net, to the incredulous gaze of their opponents and the spectators.
Arbroath defeated Bon Accord 36-0 in the 1885 Scottish Cup, and for a long time, it was the most lopsided result in the history of professional football until the unprecedented 149-0 in the Madagascar league took the record. Nonetheless, this match holds another historic mark: John Petrie became the first man to set the record with 13 goals in a professional match.
On the same day as Arbroath's victory, Dundee Harp produced a great 35-0 blowout over Aberdeen Rovers. The curious fact about this match is that the referee had recorded 37 goals in favor of Dundee Harp. However, Dundee Harp's secretary insisted that the correct result was two goals less, which was ultimately made official.
In the qualifying phase for the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, the most lopsided result in the history of international football occurred when Australia scored 31 goals against American Samoa, a modest team that participated as part of the Oceania Football Confederation. Australian player Archie Thompson scored 13 goals, tying the world record for the most goals in a single match.
Tahiti achieved this tremendous 30-0 blowout against the Cook Islands during the 1971 South Pacific Games. Years later, the Tahitians repeated the result but this time against the Micronesia national team in the same competition, in 2015. They scored 10 goals by halftime and added another 20 goals in the second half of the match.
Villarreal produced the biggest blowout in Spanish football history in a preparatory friendly against Navata, winning 27-0. That match marked the debut of coach Ernesto Valverde. Forward Jonathan Pereira scored seven goals, while his fellow attackers Joseba Llorente and Rubén Marcos each scored four goals.
Preston defeated Hyde United 26-0 in the biggest blowout in the history of the English FA Cup. Despite this impressive result, the team that achieved this milestone ended up losing the final of that tournament 2-1 to West Bromwich Albion.
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