Top 10 Shocking Upsets in European Football during the 2024/25 Season: Part 1

As the European football season has recently wrapped up, Flashscore reflects on 10 of the most significant ‘cupsets’ from the 2024/25 campaign.

In this context, a ‘cupset’ refers to a top-tier team being eliminated by a side from a lower division. Let’s dive into some of the most astonishing upsets that unfolded in domestic cups across Europe last season!

Brabrand IF 1-1 FC Nordsjaelland, 10-9 on penalties – Landspokal, Fifth Round

Our journey begins in Denmark, where fourth-tier Brabrand IF staged a stunning defeat against FC Nordsjaelland in the fifth round. This remarkable feat followed their earlier victory over Randers.

The Superliga outfit broke the deadlock just seven minutes into the match, leading many at Brabrand Stadion to believe they would dominate. However, that assumption was soon proven wrong. Mikkel Frandsen brought the score level for the underdogs shortly after the hour mark, sending the home supporters into raptures.

Despite Nordsjaelland registering 38 shots, with 28 on target throughout two hours, Brabrand’s custodian Mathias Ornskov managed to deny all but one.

In a dramatic twist, the hosts introduced backup goalkeeper Henrik Lindhard Jensen for the penalty shootout. He became the hero by saving Lucas Hey’s attempt in the 10th round, allowing Tobias Olesen to convert his spot-kick and sealing an unexpected cupset.

Brabrand, who later achieved promotion to the third tier, was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Silkeborg with a hefty 7-1 aggregate loss.

Plymouth 1-0 Liverpool – FA Cup, Fourth Round

Liverpool supporters are likely to have fond memories of the 2024/25 season, having clinched the Premier League title with four matches remaining. Under the guidance of Arne Slot, the side performed admirably throughout the season.

However, their other competitions yielded less success as they exited the Champions League in the round of 16 against the eventual champions PSG and suffered defeat in the EFL Cup final to Newcastle.

The biggest shock, however, arose in the FA Cup when they faced Plymouth Argyle, who were ultimately relegated from the Championship.

A penalty from Robbie Hardy just eight minutes into the second half proved decisive, as the Merseyside team was unable to convert their dominance — boasting 75% possession and 14 attempts — into goals. Conor Hazard stood firm to deny them, leading Plymouth to their finest FA Cup run in nearly two decades.

O Elvas 2-1 Vitoria Guimaraes – Taca de Portugal, Fifth Round

Next on our list is the Portuguese Cup, where the fourth-tier side O Elvas stunned Vitoria Guimaraes, who had previously reached the knockout phase of the Conference League, during the round of 16.

The team from District of Portalegre completed a remarkable comeback in the second half against a club that had reached the semi-finals the previous year.

Vitoria took the lead in under two minutes thanks to Michel Dieu, with many expecting the Liga Portugal team to cruise through the match. However, that singular goal would be their only success out of 20 attempts.

Lucao equalised within moments of the restart, before Desmond Nketia turned the game on its head with his goal 15 minutes from time.

The full-time whistle was met with jubilant celebrations from the home crowd as their team progressed to the quarter-finals, where they unfortunately fell to fellow Campeonato de Portugal side Tirsense with a 2-0 defeat.

In the grand view, the 2024/25 season will be remembered as a tremendous success for Cavaleiros Azuis e Ouro, culminating in their promotion to the third tier.

Pontevedra 1-0 Villarreal – Copa del Rey, Second Round

This season’s standout story in the Copa del Rey undoubtedly comes from Pontevedra in Galicia. They reached the round of 16, but not without clinching some impressive cupsets along the way.

While they enjoyed a commanding 3-0 victory over Mallorca to secure their spot in the last 16, the most remarkable upset occurred earlier. Against Villarreal — a team that finished fifth in LaLiga — Pontevedra were seen as underdogs with almost no chance of scoring, let alone winning.

Yet, the Segunda Federacion side exhibited both freedom and self-belief against a club three divisions above them, and with just three minutes remaining, Dalisson de Almeida netted the winner, securing a famous victory.

Following this, they defeated another top-flight team, Mallorca, before ultimately bowing out in the last 16 against Getafe. Still, this was their most impressive cup run since the 1971/72 season, when they reached the same stage.

Similar to Brabrand and O Elvas, Os Granates also celebrated promotion to the third division by season’s end.

Spaeri 2-2 Dinamo Tbilisi, 5-4 on Pens – Georgian Cup, Final

Among the most unforgettable cupsets of the 2024/25 season was witnessed in the Georgian Cup final, where the nation’s most famed side, Dinamo Tbilisi, faced a mid-table second-tier side, Spaeri, who were playing only in their eighth season.

Spaeri progressed through prior rounds with narrow one-goal victories or through penalty shootouts, having dispatched FC Telavi and Gagra to reach the final. This final against the 1980/81 UEFA Cup Winners Cup champions marked their most significant match in club history.

Although Dinamo had a disappointing season, finishing fifth, they were still the definite favourites.

The Liga 2 team took the lead just before half-time but subsequently conceded twice in four minutes after the interval. Just as it seemed Dinamo would secure their first cup title in nine years, Seba Gegiadze equalised in the 88th minute.

The match transitioned to penalties, and goalkeeping heroics from Bukhuti Putkaradze, who halted two kicks, enabled Spaeri to capture their first major title.

With this victory, Spaeri became the second club to win the Georgian Cup while outside the top division, following Gagra’s success 14 years earlier. They are also set to embark on their inaugural continental campaign in the summer, while Dinamo will see their first absence from European competitions since the 2017/18 season.

Honourable Mentions

To conclude this round-up, we have a couple of honourable mentions. The first comes from the 2024 NM Cupen, where fifth-tier Torvastad triumphed over Haugesund in a penalty shootout after the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

The standout moment was goalkeeper Jorgen Kaldheim Gronningen saving all four of Haugesund’s penalties. Torvastad unfortunately fell to Viking in the subsequent round, but they did celebrate promotion at the end of the season.

Also deserving recognition is Finnish club VJS, who shocked Gnistan with a 3-0 victory in the Suomen Cup, despite playing three tiers below them.

Second-half substitute Patrik Ahonen netted a brace, propelling the fourth division side to an impressive advance before they were ousted in the round of 16 by AC Oulu, another Veikkausliiga club.