World Cup 2014 scores, reaction and analysis

Pepe: American hero

Portugal's 2-1 win against Ghana, aided and abetted by one of the more amusing goalkeeping errors we've seen at the tournament, was not enough to see them through to the Round of 16. After that win, a draw (against the United States) and a loss (against Germany), Portugal ended up on four points, level with the USA but, alas, not quite level enough to treat the neutrals to the amusing spectacle of a drawing of lots*. The group went down to goal difference, and Portugal's -3 was lower than the American's pleasingly round zero, so off the United States went to a meeting with Belgium, and off the Portuguese went to a meeting with an anonymous beach somewhere.

*Speaking of which, it's not difficult to imagine better solutions to the problem of two teams being level on points, goal difference and goals scored. I propose that the managers of each side play a one-off televised chess game. This would provide a number of amusing benefits: it might cause teams to be more selective in the managers they employ, it would give them something obvious to do and best of all it would result in millions of football fans around the world tuning in to and hanging on every move of a (presumably) ineptly-played game of chess. Tell me this isn't a spectacle the world needs**.

**A fellow contributor to this feature opines that this shouldn't merely replace the drawing of lots, it should replace every tiebreaker, down to goal differential. "There'd be loads of pre-tournament fun as one manager starts reading up on opening strategies, while another defiantly ignores the whole thing". TELL ME THIS ISN'T A SPECTACLE THE WORLD NEEDS.

The goal differential swing is entirely attributable to how badly each of the United States and Portugal lost to Germany. On Thursday, concurrent with Portugal's clash with the Black Stars, team USA came up with a very respectable 1-0 loss against the same team that so comprehensively thrashed the Portuguese on opening day. 4-0 being worse than 1-0 is how Group G was decided, which is to say that Portugal's implosion, fueled by a combination of their own innate combustibility and the German counterattack, cost them a place in the knockout rounds.

And when we write 'their own innate combustibility', we're not talking about the affable abuse, both verbal and physical, which Raul Meireles dishes out to all comers. Pepe's personality has, for better or for worse, infused this Portugal side and come in many ways to define it. It's certainly defined their fate at this tournament: his dismissal for that ridiculous clash with Thomas Müller in the opener is what led from a 2-0 match becoming a 4-0 one; it's what led to a weakened Portuguese defence conceding twice against the Americans; it's what led to Portugal knowing that in order to qualify for the knockout rounds they needed not only to beat Ghana, a very decent side, but demolish Ghana. Which, of course, didn't happen.

And so, in many ways, Pepe is directly responsible for Portugal going home and the USA going through. And that makes him an American hero. Commence the Photoshopping and statue building.

Algeria refuse to give in

Algeria aren't exactly the most well-known side at the World Cup. In fact, their rather young side lacks a star to put in the spotlight. It's a toss-up as to whose name may have been more identifiable before this tournament: Nabil Bentaleb, who was surprisingly given time at Tottenham under Tim Sherwood, or Djamel Mesbah, who failed spectacularly on loan at Milan last season, only to find himself relegated with Livorno this season. Of course, there's also Sofiane Feghouli, who's been at Valencia for ages, and hasn't managed to make a name for himself for all the wrong reasons.

The point is, Algeria hadn't been grabbing headlines. They hadn't refused to get on a plane, they hadn't lost a vital player to critical injury, Vahid Halilhodžić wasn't leaving superstars back at home. Instead, they were quietly going about their business. And very possibly, taking advantage of the fact that their opponents were likely to underestimate them.

The Fennec Foxes very nearly came away with a result against Belgium in their first game. They played a compact system, sitting back and hoping to hit their opponents on the break. They were able to draw first blood, but the game was an eventual loss. No matter. Halilhodžić changed things up for the second match, fielding a more attacking side that hit South Korea right from the start. The eventual result was a 4-2 victory, meaning Algeria needed just a draw from their final game with Russia.

And that's exactly what occurred. Halilhodžić could have reverted back to the more defensive side he fielded against Belgium, but waited until the 70th minute, with the score at 1-1, to really tighten things up. With four points, Algeria were out of the group.

As a reward, they get to face Germany. The Foxes will likely be hoping they're still flying under the radar. The German attack is terrifying, but they've got their weaknesses as well. If Germany underestimates Algeria, their ponderous defense could be pulled apart on the break, while their own forays forward could be stymied. Algeria are likely thrilled to have made it to the knockout stages for the first time, but their performances give them no reason to be "just" happy to have made it this far. They don't need to stop dreaming just yet.

Cristiano Ronaldo's last shot

Cristiano Ronaldo is 29 years old. He has just exited the World Cup for the third time, his Portugal side eliminated after a 2-1 win over Ghana, which wasn't enough to see them through to the next phase. He scored the winning goal; he missed a fair few other chances that might, if all lumped together in some weird non-causal bloc, have seen Portugal through; he's going home.

It's always tricky evaluating players that stand so far above their teammates. Are they being let down by those around them, foundering on the fundamental principle that football is game for eleven rather than one? Or are they, alternatively, having a chilling effect on the team's endeavours by being so obvious a focal point that things get predictable, and ten other footballers shirk responsibility? His performances at this tournament suggest a little of both, and it was notable against the USA that much of his passing seemed to be made under the assumption that Helder Postiga and Silvestre Varela could play like his clubmate Karim Benzema. (Eventually, of course, he was right, though that was the last minute and the efforts of the Americans meant it was only an equaliser.)

Either way, this was surely his last shot at the World Cup, at least in his current, super-explosive, ultra-physical, hyper-productive guise. There's surely no way that his body will be doing what it does at 33; indeed, he's not been 100% fit for this tournament; his muscles and tendons, tweaked to the point of stressful perfection, have started to rebel. It looks increasingly as though his most prominent World Cup came at the tender age of 21, as Portugal made it all the way to the semi-finals of Germany 2006. Since then, he's turned himself into one of the finest footballers in the history of the game, yet the World Cup, which probably shouldn't define careers but inevitably does, has become ever more distant. Now, perhaps, it's gone for good.

winning ugly with Belgium

The consensus is in: Belgium are disappointing. Belgium are beatable. Which is fair enough, as Belgium have looked both disappointing and beatable, despite ending up in first place in Group H with a perfect record and qualifying after the second round of games. It's easy to point to their disjointed midfield and see major flaws, to wonder whether star striker Romelu Lukaku has been replaced by an imposter with the first touch of a trampoline, to question whether a team without real fullbacks can rely on playmaking wingers.

These criticisms of the side Marc Wilmots has built are both obvious and stand up to serious scrutiny. Certainly, the Red Devils are a squad with obvious, glaring holes, and that's almost certain to bite them at some point in this competition. But at the same time, that their lack of coherence hasn't been a problem thus far for anyone but the neutrals watching is more than a little bit worrying for anyone in their path. Because no matter what the circumstances, no matter how poorly they're playing, Belgium keep winning regardless.

Against South Korea, knowing that a point would be enough to secure pole position in Group G and having, at worst, already secured a place in the Round of 16, Wilmots decided to rest most of his team in preparation for their next game. Only Jan Vertonghen, Mousa Dembele and Thibaut Courtois were retained from the side that beat Algeria 2-1 in the opening game, and two of them were dropped for the 1-0 grind against Russia. The other is a goalkeeper. Belgium's B-squad was then reduced to 10 before halftime thanks to Steven Defour's studs-up attempt to maim Kim Shin-Wook.

And yet they still beat the Koreans, and they beat them fairly comfortably. Granted, South Korea aren't very good, but this was a second string playing a man down, and they maintained the Red Devil's perfect record. Against Algeria, Belgium overcame a thoroughly insipid performance for a come-from-behind 2-1 win. Against Russia, Eden Hazard turned on the jets with 10 minutes left to guide them to a similar late victory. In other words, Belgium have been playing poorly and yet have overcome every obstacle in their path, without trying particularly hard.

The criticisms leveled at this Belgium side are obviously correct, but the obvious response is that they've beaten everyone they've encountered so far, even when not playing well. And that's a rather ominous development for their opposition in the knockout rounds. First up: the United States.