Now there are eight. And a well-earned break for everyone before the quarter-finals. Time to look back at some of those who shone, who bombed, and who just didn’t turn up in a tournament for the ages.
Winners:
- Morocco
Whatever happens now, they’ll always have Qatar. After the fun of the group stage, it began to look as if the old guard was restoring order.
Underdogs being summarily dismissed now that we’re at the business end. But Morocco? The way they won their group and resisted Spain, they’re anything but underdogs.
Under coach Walid Regragui, they have yet to lose and must fancy their chances against Portugal.
They’re the only nation outside Europe and South America to reach the last eight and the first African nation to do so since Ghana in 2010.
- Achraf Hakimi
The audacity! In Spain, they talk about cojones in tight situations and they don’t come much tighter than taking a penalty in a World Cup shootout.
Against the country of your birth! Where you were raised!
But Hakimi, one of 17 squad members born beyond Morocco’s borders, has cojones.
He lined up for the decisive sixth kick and, with, of all things, a dink, he gently lobbed the ball into the centre of the net, Spain’s keeper already having dived into a different postcode.
- Yassine Bouno
Born in Canada, plays for Sevilla and wears “Bono” on his shirt, he’s now as famous as U2.
The hero keeper of this shootout, he’s yet to be beaten by an opponent in six-and-a-half hours of play – the only goal Morocco having conceded being an own goal.
But he did as much, if not more, than Hakimi to slay Spain and earn a shot at immortality. He saved from Sergio Busquets and Carlos Soler and watched another hit the woodwork.
And earned a rare tribute from a defiant Spain manager, Luis Enrique.
He said: “I wouldn’t change anything – only their goalkeeper.”
- Goncalo Ramos
Before yesterday, the 21-year-old had played just 36 minutes of international football and was only in the squad because Diogo Jota was injured.
But inside 17 minutes, the Benfica striker had scored more knockout goals than Cristiano Ronaldo.
What a story!
- Jude Bellingham
Powerful, pacy, a good passer of the ball, an intelligent reader of the game.
Can tackle and score, good with both feet and with his head. Is there anything this 19-year-old cannot do?
He plays like he’s a decade older, could have another three tournaments to come and has transformed this England side with his presence in midfield.
Sure to fetch at least £100 million when Dortmund sell him with all the big clubs queuing up.
- Japan
Despite the disaster of the shootout, the Japanese go home as heroes. They still haven’t been able to get beyond the last 16, but are getting closer.
And they beat Germany and Spain. The likes of Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano look fit to play with bigger clubs and coach Hajime Moriyasu showed his tactical awareness with inspired substitutions.
The sun hasn’t set on Japanese football: it’s just gone behind a cloud.
- Kylian Mbappe
With Erling Haaland out of the picture, the spotlight on the next gen has fallen on the 23-year-old Frenchman who already has one World Cup winners medal.
And he hasn’t disappointed. His electric pace and precise power shooting make him an ace in the pack for the defending champions.
He looks unstoppable and he and Haaland seem already to have assumed the role of top two players in the world.
- Olivier Giroud
Once laughed at as a lumbering giraffe in later years at Arsenal. Well, compared to Thierry Henry, he was. And after an ill-fated switch to Chelsea.
But Giroud, now 36, stands as France’s leading scorer of all time with 52 goals.
Not only has he snatched Henry’s record, but he’s taken Karim Benzema’s place in leading the line to become a valuable outlet and experienced foil for Mbappe.
He could even win it again.
- Louis van Gaal
What’s a World Cup when you’ve just beaten cancer?
When the Netherlands boss was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer in April last year, he reacted in typical fashion: he wasn’t going to let it beat him.
He didn’t tell his players he was wearing a catheter at training or spending nights at hospital to recover.
But recover he has and, now 70, has been an inspiration to a new generation of Dutch stars.
Don’t rule him out – it’s the only major trophy he’s never won.
- Cody Gakpo
A tall, direct and dynamic winger, he’s come on leaps and bounds to become one of the emerging stars of this tournament.
Already the subject of major club interest, PSV will likely get a decent fee for him with Manchester United, under Dutch boss Erik ten Hag, favourites.
At long last, United may find the answer to their right-wing problem.
Losers:
- Cristiano Ronaldo
It’s hard to call a man of 37 who has just been offered €500 million a year “a loser”.
But despite the deal from Saudi club Al Nassr, his future in international and European football looks bleak.
He lost his place in Portugal’s team because of his non-performance in this tournament and his attitude. Have we heard that somewhere before?
It’s an uncanny repeat of what happened at Manchester United and the team were all the better for it, young replacement Goncalo Ramos rubbing it in by firing a hat-trick.
You can’t feel too sorry for CR7 but he’s beginning to look – dare we say it – his age.
Still, wouldn’t it be the most Ronaldo-like thing to come on and score the winner against Morocco?
- Germany
Losing in the group phase once may be considered a misfortune; losing twice in a row looks like carelessness.
Actually, it was bad luck, too. An infamous couple of millimetres by which the ball stayed over the line before Japan’s crucial goal against Spain.
The carelessness was in the first game which they lost to Japan after leading 1-0.
Not enough to justify sacking Hansi Flick or root and branch reform.
But that’s what they did after bowing out of the 2000 Euros – and ended up reaching the World Cup final two years later.
You wouldn’t bet your house against a repeat.
- Spain
Coach Luis Enrique is calling it a disaster, but they did reach the last 16. Not enough for 2010 winners and twice European kings either side of that.
It’s now 10 years since they won a tournament.
And not enough when you make 1,000 passes and have around 80% possession in most games – even when you lose.
As well as the manager, Spain may have to think about changing their style too.
Could this be the end of tiki-taka football?
- Qatar
Statistically the worst hosts ever, they looked out of their depth. But how did they ever become Asian champions?
Cooped up together in a camp for months and playing only practice matches, it showed that whatever else Qatar got right in preparing for this World Cup, when it came to football, they didn’t have a clue.
- Uruguay
Unlucky losers to the strange absence of a VAR review.
The South Americans were coasting to victory against Ghana who were supposed to exact revenge for the infamous 2010 “robbery”.
But Uruguay, for whom Luis Suarez finally woke up, were too good for the Africans and looking destined for the Round of 16.
When South Korea scored in the other game, Uruguay suddenly needed another goal.
When Edinson Cavani appeared to be floored inside the box, they thought they’d get a penalty.
They didn’t even get a review.
Cavani knocked the VAR monitor over in disgust – a desperately sad end for old hands like him, Suarez and Diego Godin.