“Dark Horses” CM: 170 shots, 0 goals, 1 own goal.

**“Dark Horses”:** 170 shots, 0 goals, and 1 own goal. On paper, these teams seem like formidable forces. But the statistics reveal a different story. Turkey, Belgium, and Ecuador demonstrate a paradoxical style of football: total dominance, numerous shots, and nothing on the scoreboard. The term “dark horses” here sounds like a bitter irony.

**Turkey:** An anti-record in shots without goals. With 76% of the ball in possession and 62 shots in two matches, this is the worst performance in history when it comes to attempts without goals in a two-match series. The team makes aggressive attacks, but they stumble at the final moment. The problem isn’t with tactics, but with execution. There’s also a growing psychological pressure on the goalposts.

**Belgium:** A sequence of shots without any goals. The only goal scored by the “Red Devils” in this tournament was an own goal by Egypt. Since the last accurate shot by a Belgian during the tournament, Belgium has made 69 shots. This golden generation is losing its edge. The attack has become a statistical paradox: many attempts, but no goals.

**Ecuador:** When xG doesn’t equal goals. With 39 shots and expected goals of 4.06, the team failed to score any goals. Interestingly, against Curaçao, which conceded seven goals to Germany, Ecuador managed to make 15 shots from the penalty area. The ball just didn’t go in the net, despite their clear superiority and opportunities to score.

**Conclusion:** These teams don’t hide their potential. They just waste it. Without immediate improvements, their tournament path is likely to end in the group stage. Modern football has long shown that possession and shots don’t determine victory. Only goals matter.