The group stage games may not be the best, but its stories are. From famous names to left field, the 831 players plus coaches have amazing tales to tell. Here are a couple.

Only Carlos Queiroz would pick four goalkeepers in a squad of 26.

Only Louis van Gaal would give a 28-year-old journeyman keeper his international debut in the World Cup.

Both featured on Monday night and they could have met in the Round of 16.

But their paths are now unlikely to cross following Iran’s defeat and Netherlands’ victory in their respective opening games where each coach was defined by his own idiosyncrasies.

For the veteran Dutchman, now 70, it could be his last hurrah on the world stage – both metaphorically and literally.

Diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer just over a year ago, his treatment has been a success so far.

He’s had 25 bouts of radiation treatment but he didn’t tell the players until April.

He took to training wearing a catheter before spending the night recovering in hospital.

But he’s very much in charge of the Netherlands’ young side and is still making courageous and controversial decisions.

Only he would have given a 28-year-old journeyman who’d only ever played in 45 matches a first cap on the biggest stage.

Andries Noppert’s wife begged him to quit football.

But the 2.03m beanpole, who can touch the crossbar without jumping, listened only to his manager and didn’t let him down.

Keeping a clean sheet against African champions Senegal, he fully justified Van Gaal’s faith.

In his only previous World Cup, the quirky Dutchman controversially brought on Tim Krul, a specialist in saving penalties, for a shootout against Costa Rica.

Ground-breaking at the time, it is now common practice.

After winning the Champions League with a young Ajax side in 1996, he was regarded as the top coach in the world.

But he never quite matched that in later years.

Indeed, United fans have few happy memories under him before he was sacked as soon as he won the FA Cup.

But as he now seeks to cap his illustrious career with the greatest prize of all, fans will unite in wishing him well in his battle with cancer.

They may look back more fondly on Queiroz, 69, who never had the top job at Old Trafford but was anything but a cone-carrying yes-man.

His two stints there were both under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Fergie wrote in his autobiography: “Carlos Queiroz was brilliant. Just brilliant. Outstanding. An intelligent, meticulous man.

“He was good for me. He was a Rottweiler. He was the closest you could be to being the Manchester United manager without actually holding the title.”

With an endorsement like that, the Portuguese had little trouble in finding jobs.

But he was unlucky at Real Madrid before going on his travels to manage no less than six different countries.

In charge of less talented players, he focused more on not conceding goals and earned a reputation for being negative.

Iran were typical until the floodgates opened against England.

And after losing his keeper to concussion, he may need an extra keeper after all.

He now faces a difficult double task: salvaging some pride for the country from this World Cup as well as the safety of his squad after their silence during the national anthem.

Diplomacy as well as tactical wizardry will be needed.

We wish him well, too, and Fergie won’t be the only one backing him to pull it off.

And three young refugees

Australia is a sporting nation that loves an underdog, especially a kid from the outback who takes on the world.

Three members of the Socceroos’ squad at this World Cup certainly tick that particular box: they are from way beyond the outback. They’re from refugee camps in Africa, to be precise.

Thomas Deng, Awer Mabil and Garang Kuol all hail from war-torn South Sudan, from which their parents fled and ended up Down Under.

None could speak English when they arrived but they let their feet do the talking.

Deng was a scrawny kid of six when he came and is now a towering defender.

He skippered the Olyroos who beat Argentina at the Tokyo Olympics last year.

He spoke for all three when he said: “Football made it so much easier to make friends whether it was at school or my first soccer club in Adelaide.”

Sixteen years after Mabil arrived, he scored in the shootout in Peru that sent Australia to Qatar.

Best of the lot is forward Kuol, who, although yet to start for a club side, is ready to play for his country.

Considered a bit special, he has already been snapped up by Newcastle United in the EPL.

He hopes to show UK authorities that he merits a work permit.