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Have we ever seen such an even World Cup? All eight group winners have made it through to the quarter-finals, despite the best efforts of the second placed sides, many of whom were unlucky to be knocked out.
While the elite eight have been winning, most have been far from perfect.
Argentina have relied heavily on Lionel Messi’s brilliance, whereas Germany and the Netherlands have failed to back up impressive first-up wins in the group stage with more dominant displays.
Belgium seem to have struggled at times with the pressure of being everyone’s dark horse for the tournament, while France and Costa Rica have surprised with their free-flowing style.
As a result, the France versus Germany, Belgium versus Argentina and Netherlands versus Costa Rica match-ups have the potential to be classics, as there is no real favourite.
But it’s the quarter final between Colombia and Brazil that will be the most intriguing match of the weekend. It’s more than just a South American derby; it could be the match that shakes the order of international football.
Colombia have been the most impressive team at the tournament by far. After three comprehensive wins from three in the group stage, Colombia also easily accounted for Uruguay in the round of 16.
Their 4-2-3-1 system is an aggressive formation that emphasises possession with the ball and substantial pressure when they are on the defensive. The fact they have scored 11 goals and conceded just 2 is proof José Péckerman’s game plan is working.
Captain Mario Yepes is an inspirational leader in defence, while Teófilo Gutiérrez is proving difficult to contain.
They also have found a star in James Rodríguez, who has stepped up to fill the void left by Radamel Falco. When it was announced that Falco would miss the tournament, there was a feeling Colombia would struggle to score goals, but these fears have been alleviated by the AS Monaco star, whose has been in the right place at the right time on numerous occasions.
Colombia’s enthusiasm is contagious and is in stark contrast to the feeling of pessimism surrounding Brazil.
There’s no doubt they have been heavily burdened with the pressure of being the World Cup host. It seems like the protests about the cost of the World Cup and the pressure of erasing the ghosts of 1950 have hampered Luiz Felipe Scolari’s troops.
Brazil struggled to get through the group stage with the only consistent aspect of the side being their rampant inconsistency during matches. Brilliant one minute, mediocre the next, the pre-tournament favourites have inched their way to the quarters rather than bounding in with confidence as in previous years.
They’re also very fortunate to have made it past the second round, with Chile’s Mauricio Pinella just centimetres away from knocking the host nation out in extra time.
Neymar has proved to the world he is a future champion, but those around him have struggled to perform.
Dani Alves has been on the receiving end for his lacklustre tournament and his counterpart in defence Thiago Silva hasn’t been able to enforce himself on matches.
The Seleção have not performed to expectations this tournament but have been saved by an easy group and some luck. They can’t rely on that in the quarters, as Colombia’s enthusiastic style will not buckle under expectations.
Brazil will need to play with confidence and a compact defence when they lose the ball, as Colombia are at their best when given space.
Shutting Rodríguez out of the game will be critical, but not an easy task for Brazil.
6am Saturday morning (AEST) in Fortaleza has got the potential to be another memorable match. Brazil has got the advantage of the crowd behind them, and having a talented squad, but that may not be enough to stop a confident Colombia from doing the unthinkable and knocking Brazil out.
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