In minor league baseball, there is something called the rule of mercy. Basically if a team gets too far ahead, their resistance is saved that they have to keep playing and everyone has to go home and cry.
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There is no such convention in football. Therefore, if you go 10-0 down with 15 minutes left to play, you have only crushed your teeth until the full-time whistle ends the suffering.
The World Cup qualifying process suffers particularly badly with erroneous competitions that the rule of mercy would probably end before they even began. Here are the most ridiculous one-sided matches from the 2000s …
The Mongolian players could have done with a trip to the Maldives after this | EyesWideOpen / Getty Images
Starting our list is a popular holiday destination that beats a slightly less popular holiday destination.
It’s worse to come for Mongolia on this list too …
China made easy work of their opponents STR / Getty Images
Bhutan is located on the eastern edge of the Himalayas and is better known for its Buddhist temples than its football team.
This became clear when they hosted China in 2015, with striker Xu Yang helping himself to four of his team’s 12 goals.
The gain is Syria’s largest in their history STRINGER / Getty Images
Syria had no mood to satisfy the memory of its qualified groups in 2001 and scored 12 goals past the Philippines without a response.
They at least managed to restore some pride in the return match and lost only 5-1. It’s basically a win.
United Arab Emirates qualified for 1990 World Cup and lost all three group games | Brendon Thorne / Getty Images
The United Arab Emirates is not exactly a football powerhouse, but they still gave low Brunei a thump in 2001.
Yaser Salem Ali was in a great mood and reached five goals.
At least their kit is nice JOHAN ORDONEZ / Getty Images
Anguilla has a smaller population than Bangor, so it’s no surprise that they’re fighting to put together a decent team.
Their darkest hour came in 2008 when El Salvador put them in the sword 12-0.
Laos finished third in the 2016 AFC Solidarity Cup | Hur Foo Yeen / Getty Images
The worst thing about this defeat is that it’s not even Loa’s greatest ever.
It happened all the way back in 1963 when Egypt put 15 goals past them without a reply.
Montserrat has strengthened in recent years, adding Lyle Taylor and Brandon Comley to their ranks MARVIN RECINOS / Getty Images
The population of less than 5,000 people generally prefers mounted cricket.
These are not suitable conditions for creating a good football team, as their 13-0 defeat against Bermuda showed in 2004.
It’s just not the winning bet, is it? | Darren England / Getty Images
Spoiler alert! This is not the last time American Samoa will appear on the list.
However, this was a rather dark day even by their own low standard. Fiji is really not that good at football.
Liverpool’s Takumi Minamino was among Japanese goal scorers Koji Watanabe / Getty Images
Japan never has too many problems in the World Cup qualifiers but they took their dominance to a new level in March 2021.
At half time, the score was only 5-0 with nine second half goals that ended a historic victory.
Iran is one of the strongest football countries in Asia Amin M. Jamali / Getty Images
Iran is a football-mad nation. Cambodia … not so much.
This clock in the class was clear in 2019 with eight different goal scorers entering the agent in front of 15,000 spectators in Tehran.
Qatar is hosting the world 2022 | KARIM JAAFAR / Getty Images
Qatar’s “innovative” method of naturalizing a variety of foreign-born stars has helped turn them into an Asian football powerhouse.
Poor Bahrain had no chance.
What a lovely shirt Hannah Peters / Getty Images
It’s our old friends American Samoa again, who lost 15-0 to humble Vanuatu in 2007.
This victory took the Isle of Smiles to its highest place ever in the FIFA rankings, 131st.
Fiji rocked a Kappa kit 2018 World Cup qualifier | Hagen Hopkins / Getty Images
Woah. We take back what we said about Fiji earlier. Maybe there really is the real deal.
It is more likely that Tuvalu, with a population of 11,000, may not be the strongest opposition.
Like the template Adidas kit guys | HOANG DINH NAM / Getty Images
Guam has improved significantly in recent years, securing victories over India and Turkmenistan in 2015.
At the turn of the millennium, such achievements would have seemed far-fetched, especially after Tajikistan beat 16 of them in the World Cup qualifiers.
Guam get acquainted with its conquerors 2018 | ATTA KENARE / Getty Images
Back to the back of Guam. What a moment.
Ali Daei, the man Cristiano Ronaldo chases as the leading scorer in international football history, helped himself to strengthen this.
As long as you had fun guys, that’s all that matters Darren England / Getty Images
Two days before they were involved in number one on the list, Australia scored 22 goals past humble Tonga.
To be fair, they are more of a rugby nation.
This result was so historic that it inspired its own brilliant documentary, Next Goal Wins.
Australian striker Archie Thompson had a particularly good night and helped himself to ridiculous 13 goals.
