And so in the end the best team won. It took nearly 112 minutes to break down the extremely well organised Argentinian defence but it happened. It had to happen.

Well, you’ll struggle to find two more contrasting semi-finals. One, an open, high scoring shocker, and the other a predictably tight, defensive show. Brazil did their best to out-passion the Germans in the build up with their operatic renditions...

It’s hard to believe that Argentina hasn’t been to a World Cup semi-final since 1990. It feels like they’re always there or thereabouts. Watching them see off Belgium in a mostly boring quarter, I felt for the first time this tournament that the Argies are probably...

Goalkeepers. They're the lads who no one really envy's but the lads who are perhaps the most important play in a football team. This World Cup has shown us a pretty attacking brand of footy which has also brought out the best in many of the world's top goalies.

Holy Haahmes, Batman! Once the world starts pronouncing your name in the dramatic Spanish way, you can usually say you’ve made it. James Rodriguez is the breakout star of this World Cup, bar none.

Ooh, the knockouts! No more margins for error, no more settling for second best. It’s win or go home from here on, be it through the magic up front or the dreaded penalty shoot out, someone’s gotta come out on top.

Miroslav Klose, tied for the most World Cup goals all time now with 15. Quality. Not a guy who ever lit up the club stage in quite the same way, but always a man for the occasion. Klose has scored in 4 consecutive World Cups now. Only Pele, Uwe Seeler and Klose have ever done that

Ahh, England. It’s pretty much all over now after a second consecutive 2-1 loss, this time to Luis Suarez’s Uruguay. The South Americans looked a completely different side with their talisman back, even if he wasn’t fully fit, and twice the Liverpool forward capitalised on really weak defending. 

Sometimes a keeper has a game so amazing that he seems unbeatable. Mexico’s Memo Ochoa had a game like that against Brazil, keeping Neymar and co. at bay for the full 90 minutes to squeeze a valuable point out of the hosts and transform himself into a national hero.

How good has the World Cup been!? Usually the big show brings us a bunch of conservative teams playing not to lose and trying most of all not to concede. Nil-all draws and boring football. But in Brazil, the country best known for flair and creative footy, we’re seeing the opposite. Four days and 11 games in, we are yet to see a single draw.