It struck me yesterday evening, as I watched the end of an absorbing and mega-tense Germany/Argentina match, that the only team who has previously won the World Cup not present in the last eight is Uruguay. Their failure to reach the ¼ finals is not altogether surprising, seeing as they didn’t actually qualify for the tournament in the first place, but the fact remains that the footballing superpowers have emphatically laid to rest the ghost of Japan & Korea (where favourites wilted, and plucky underdogs thrived).

I have to check the stats, but I can’t (off-hand) think of a competition where the dark horses and ‘light weights’ have been so ruthlessly weeded out. Still, if we discount the last tournament (which was the first to feature 2 non-European teams in the last 4) this year has seen the old refrain "The more things change, the more they stay the same" trotted out repeatedly. If Brazil as (just about) expected make it to the last 4, it’ll be the 5th World Cup since 1982 to feature the old "3 Europeans/1 South American" line-up in the semi-finals.¹

As John Motson might over-state it: "Amazing!"

Germany 1 Argentina 1 [4-2 on penalties]

Italy 3 Ukraine 0

1. With the South American team always being either Brazil or Argentina. [back]