Over the past four days all the groups at the World Cup had their judgement days. We found out who would progress and who would miss out. Who would meet whom in the round of 16 and who would not.
It is a measure of how even and unpredictable this World Cup has been that except for two groups, the group winners have been undecided till the final set of matches. Out of the 32 teams at the world cup, 26 were still in the running till the last day.
Group C:
Slovenia froze up at the final hurdle, allowing England to edge them in a very nervous match. When the final whistle blew, Slovenia, despite the defeat were progressing. However, events in the USA - Algeria match would soon change that.
England were far from impressing and looked decidedly tetchy after the goal. Slovenia promised so much more but seemed unable to step through the gears and deliver. A decent World Cup for them.
USA were on course for a frustrating draw against the Algerians, having gotten them better of a scrappy game. A good goal from Clint Dempsey for ruled out for an phantom offside call. However, just as injury time looked to be ending, a ball into the area bounced about and an onrushing Landon Donovan converted to seal the win and send USA through as group winners.
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Group D:
Germany continued their good form with an impressive defeat of Ghana. The Ghanaians were sloppy at the back and wasteful at the front. Germany moved the ball around with purpose and panache and a goal line clearance apart, never looked in trouble.
A mouthwatering clash with England awaits.
Serbia promised so much before the tournament but were terrible throughout. A win over Germany looks more a fluke against 10 men with every passing day. They played well in the first half against Australia but were unable to make their possession count for much. Eventually Australia got going and scored two quick goals.
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Group E:
One of the few groups in which the winner was identified early. Holland, although never terribly fluent, were the class of the group. Their group stage was mirrored in their game against Cameroon. They took the early lead, leaked a sloppy equalizer from a penalty and then scored a winner into an open net. Their possession and domination deserved more but they will take the the 2-1 win any day. So 9 points, top spot, Holland sail into the the round of 16.
Cameroon, like most African teams, disappointed, Samuel Eto'o looked jaded, Achille Emana never got going and their defending was a shambles throughout.
Denmark, one expected would edge past Japan. However the Japanese won the game convincingly and how. Classic dipping and swerving free kicks from Keisuke Honda and Yasuhito Endo effectively ended the contest. Although Denmark had the lion's share of possession, they did little with it. Jon Dahl Tomasson scored a clumsy penalty rebound before Japan added a later marker to make the game safe. Quality trumps quantity every time.
Like South Korea, Japan has impressed, adding technical skill and clever ball retention to their impressive all round game. Denmark never really got going.
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Group F:
Italy were horrid throughout, needing late goals to snatch draws against Paraguay and New Zealand. Despite threatening late with two late goals,. they slumped to defeat against a well organized and well motivated Slovakia side, 3-2. Major retooling is scheduled after the tournament for an aging side with little creativity, a hole in the center of defence and a lop sided attack. The defending World Champions are out, bottom of their group.
Slovakia played well throughout and deserved progression. Compact and tightly knit with an energizer bunny in Marek Hamsik, running the midfield, they showed they are more than capable of upsetting a few apple carts. Robert Vittek leads the goal scoring charts at this stage and the Slovaks are making waves at their first World Cup.
Paraguay, although unspectacular, kept up the impressive performances of the South Americans with effective, composed performances. They were never going to lose to New Zealand and with qualification secured, they kept the ball well and snuffed out any chance of the Kiwis scoring. The Kiwis have been the surprise of the World Cup. They finish unbeaten, third in their group with an early lead against Italy thrown in for good measure.
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Group G:
Another one of those groups where the final order was more or less set before the final day. Brazil impressed with solidity mixed in with occasional brilliance. After having beaten both North Korea and Ivory Coast, they settled for a draw against Portugal, ensuring they go through as group winners. Like in 1998, they meet with Chile next.
Portugal have improved with every game and could have beaten Brazil on day 3 but their 7-0 hammering of North Korea had effectively sealed their progression. They play Spain next.
Ivory Coast were found out with no defence, a tepid midfield and only one scorer in Didier Drogba
North Korea came to make up the numbers and a late goal against Brazil apart, they did just that. Hope fully they can build on this and cement their position at Asia's top table.
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Group H:
Spain needed to beat Chile to have any chance of advancing, they did just that with a magical long distance shot from David Villa. Chile have looked very very good throughout but despite winning their first two games, stood a chance of going out. Their 1-0 wins notwithstanding. Still they kept at it and a late goal against Spain ensure that their goal difference, the first tie breaker, would not be adversely affected. Spain have improved with every game and look like they are building nicely. An all Iberian tie versus Portugal lies in store.
Oh and that was a dive by Fernando Torres.
Switzerland, having done the hard work, needed to simply beat Honduras to advance. They couldn't breach Honduras. A World Cup that started so well for them has ended with a whimper. You would think it's par for the course with such a limited team but Switzerland showed that on their day they can stand up to and beat the top teams. Switzerland can use this experience towards the Euro 2012 campaign.
Honduras showed they are competent but not capable. Good outing for the squad who never quite looked comfortable at this level.
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