Twenty days into 2018 World Cup 2018 in Russia, and with 12 days to go before the final game, the world has been treated to spellbinding fireworks. So unexpected have been some of the outcomes so far, that football experts are rating this World Cup among the most unpredictable - and nail-biting.
Few pundits could have predicted that some of the most highly rated and fancied teams such as Spain, Germany, Argentina and Portugal would not reach the quarter-finals. Spain and Germany, for instance, were among those tipped as being eventual victors.
Minnows such as Japan also almost caused upsets. On Monday, Belgium fought back from two goals down to seal a 3-2 win against Japan with the last kick of the game and make the quarter-finals. Belgium were the first side to recover from a two-goal deficit to win a World Cup knockout match since Germany beat England 3-2 after extra time in Mexico in 1970.
Last night’s battle between England and Colombia produced fireworks.
However, the drama was notched at the weekend when in the space of a few hours, the hopes and expectations of millions of football fans around the world were dashed when two of the generation’s greatest and most familiar sports icons - Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo - were ushered out with their respective sides.
In terms of pure box office, losing these two
marquee players is a setback, but their exit is testament to the glorious uncertainty of sport.
But if two of the kings of the game are dead for the purposes of this tournament, long live kings Kylian and Edinson! For in French teenager Kylian Mbappe and Uruguayan Edinson Cavani - ironically team-mates at Paris St Germain - Russia 2018 has thrown up two alternate match-winners whose respective double strikes in their teams’ last games were of superlative quality.
They will probably not be the only players at the event who emerge as potentially the one performer who could just do enough to swing the whole thing for their side.
And the fact that the first couple of knockout games have produced high-scoring duels is a plus for the game, producing end-to-end action, which is always better than cagey, conservative game plans.
The roller-coaster of the knockout rounds is well and truly upon us, and more sensational action is still in store.
Beautiful game indeed!