World Cup 2014 scores, reaction and analysis

Tim Howard, professional hero

The United States crashed out of the World Cup in extra time against Belgium, and in truth they were lucky to make it that far. Not to the Round of 16, of course -- their passage to the knockouts was won by hard work and some very nice play -- but against Belgium the Americans were over-matched almost everywhere on the pitch. Tim Howard was the lone exception.

We've seen plenty of excellent goalkeeping in this tournament, but Howard's game on Tuesday night might just top the lot. The Everton goalkeeper recorded a record number of saves in a World Cup game, and while that record is slightly tarnished by the fact that he had 120 minutes of football in which to do it it's not as though extra time is some sort of newfangled invention. This was one of the better goalkeeping performances in World Cup history, let alone the 2014 edition.

From start to finish, Howard was in control. Everything that could be stopped was stopped, and although Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku eventually managed to find the net, both were forced into perfect finishes to beat Howard. 16 other shots were beaten away, by hook or by crook, as the Red Devils pushed and pushed and pushed. But for Howard there's no way that 0-0 scoreline would have held until extra time. But for Howard, Divock Origi might have scored in the first minute.

At the other end of the pitch was La Liga standout Thibaut Courtois. At 22, he's widely considered the best goalkeeper of his generation. The Atlético Madrid star may yet cement his place as one of the greats, but he'll do very well indeed to match what Howard did in the USA goal. In a team that fought for every inch despite facing superior talent in all four World Cup games, it's Howard who stood out as the Americans' one true world-class player. If this is his last World Cup, he picked one hell of a way to go out.

The Round of 16 was unpredictably predictable

With the exception of Uruguay, who were so busy making a martyr of Luis Suarez that they forgot to turn up against Colombia, each and every one of the second-round losers will be carefully nurturing a hard-luck story for years to come.

Chile can compare notes with Switzerland about the iniquities of the woodwork, then lament the tragedy of penalties with the Greeks. Mexico and Algeria can bemoan the tiny lapses in concentration that undid all their good work. And somewhere, deep in the hinterlands of some country where football means nothing and nobody knows their haunted faces, Chris Wondolowski and Vincent Enyeama can sit, staring into space, neither one speaking about what could have been.

And yet perhaps apart from Costa Rica, who are flying so far above expectations that such concerns are trifling irrelevancies, each game just about broke in the direction of the pre-game favourites. Predictable results unfolding in highly unpredictable ways. In some cases, that's just how football goes: strong teams win big when they're playing well, and find a way to win small when they're not. But there are two things we can take from the closeness of this round of fixtures. The first is that by this point, every team (bar Colombia) has looked vulnerable at one point or another. Which in turns means everybody (bar Brazil, who have bigger things to worry about anyway) can take some encouragement from their opponents' form even as they gently fret about their own.

The second is we were astoundingly close -- inches, in some cases -- to a quarter-final line-up without a single former winner. Instead we've got four, plus a former finalist and two officially nominated pre-tournament dark horses. Perhaps some semblance of sanity is returning to the World Cup ...

... nah. Sod that. Come on Costa Rica!

Julian Green makes a splash

It's entirely possible that Julian Green could have spent the entire World Cup without taking to the field once. The Bayern Munich midfielder, who has so little time on the pitch as a professional that few had seen him play before, was a surprise inclusion in Jurgen Klinsmann's USA squad. A 19-year-old wild card, Green's involvement was seen by most as a nod to the future or, more cynically, a ploy to induce more defections. Adding a top German-American prospect to the World Cup squad could only encourage players on the fringe (or well below it) of the Germany team to bolt for the United States.

The cynics might have been right, but really, everyone -- except possibly Klinsmann -- was wrong abut Green.

He came on with the United States a beaten team. After holding out against a furious Belgian attack for an hour and a half, Matt Besler, Omar Gonzalez and company were promptly introduced to the human wrecking ball known as Romelu Lukaku and were hit for two goals in short order. With 15 minutes of extra time to go and morale plummeting, Green was thrown on for the first time in four games. It looked like a cameo.

It wasn't. Green's first run was timed to perfection, fresh legs bursting past Jan Vertonghen to breach Belgium's previously-stout back line. His first touch was a running volley to guide Michael Bradley's chipped past beyond the reach of Thibaut Courtois. At 19, Green's movement and skill had brought a defeated United States team back into the match.

They'd still lose, of course, but far better to go out like they did, pushing hard for an equaliser right up until the 120th minute of play, than to succumb to an ultimately limp 2-0 loss in which only their goalkeeper got any real credit. Green's inclusion was the key to a furious finish from which the Americans emerged with far more dignity than they had any right to -- 2-1 and a fight to the end, against a Belgian side putting in their best performance of the tournament, no less, is hardly an embarrassing way to depart Brazil.

It's important not to overstate how good Green is now or might be in future. Four years is a long time out to be making real plans, and most observers simply haven't seen enough of him to tell you one way or the other (and be wary of experts who claim they have!). But what matters right now is that he provided enough in 15 minutes in Salvador to justify his place on the team.

Messi saves the day. Again.

This World Cup is meant to be Messi's tournament. While Neymar might be seen as carrying the hopes of the host nation, Brazil 2014 has long been talked about as the chance for Messi to be able to hang his boots up beside the true Argentina legends -- namely, Diego Maradona. He might be considered one of the world's best when playing for Barcelona, but without doing much for Argentina, he'd never be truly great.

But this man is now alone in hoisting Argentina's dreams onto his small frame. While it was Ángel di María's goal that eliminated Switzerland, it was - once again - Messi that saved his country. With three minutes left in added time, Messi slipped into space to receive a pass from Rodrigo Palacio, cut inside, and provided the pass that allowed di María to slot home.

Many have been disdainful of Messi throughout the tournament, noting that he's been "kept quiet" and that he "provides little." But even if those criticisms are valid (and they're probably not), that's all the more reason to admire the fact that he's nearly single-handedly brought Argentina to the quarterfinals. Alejandro Sabella's system doesn't allow for Messi to shine in the same manner, focused as it is on quick counterattacks rather than patient possession. To add to that, he's constantly being shackled by the opposition.

Yet he keeps finding a way to overcome the odds. Against Switzerland, Messi constantly found himself up against the midfield's destroying duo of Gokhan Inler and Valon Behrami. He was frustrated, isolated, forced to drop deep to find the ball. Yet even while shackled, he was able to find space for a decent cross, a sassy chip to Palacio, a long-range effort. It was his supporting cast that let him down, providing little in the way of support, or putting their resulting shots off-target.

Sabella has one of the top players in the world on his side, yet he's forcing him into a system that refuses to allow his talents to shine. But somehow Messi keeps on being the one to lift Argentina to a win. And that is the real magic of Messi.