When the draw for the ongoing FIFA World Cup was conducted in Moscow last December, an underwhelming feeling hung in the air. There was no proverbial ‘group of death’, nor were there many marquee clashes to set pulses racing — Spain-Portugal on the second day of the tournament was a notable exception. Belgium-England could have been another exciting contest, were it not the final match of their group. Progress to the round of 16 was expected to be sealed by the time the encounter arrived, which is exactly how it has turned out.

With the World Cup entering the knockout stage tomorrow (June 30), and three-fourths of the matches over, it is a good time to reflect on the surprises and those who made them. And there have been plenty, not least the German debacle. This includes even the sides that exited early, the absence of points notwithstanding.

Morocco and Peru are obvious names when you consider teams that have failed to produce the results their display has merited. Peru’s matches have been particularly excruciating for its fans, who had looked forward to their team’s return to the World Cup after 36 years; they could legitimately claim that La Blanquirroja deserved at least four points in their meetings against vaunted opponents such as Denmark and France. Morocco, with 17 of its 23 players born outside the country, was even more impressive. Despite two dominant performances against Iran and Portugal, the Atlas Lions finished on the losing side both times to confirm their exit from the World Cup. Iran, which nearly knocked out Portugal, also deserves mention.

Then there are teams that have converted their fighting displays into success. Russia is a standout in this respect, having exceeded per-tournament expectations by qualifying for the knockouts with one game still to go. After the first two rounds of matches, according to FIFA’s records, no side had covered more ground than the host. Buoyed by home support, the Russian side overwhelmed opponents with their intensity.A similar story played out in the Mexican side, El Tri’s shock win over defending champion Germany, as its pace caught its rival off guard.

Japan has stood out for its quick, energetic football while the composure shown by Senegal — the only team in this World Cup with a black coach — is equally commendable. Switzerland caught the eye for organised defence and ability to counter-attack in a flash.

More importantly, these teams have shown that the gap between them and the big fish is not as yawning as imagined. The low-key anticipation for the group stage was informed by the thought that a chasm existed between the top four teams — Brazil, Spain, France, and Germany — and the rest. This was proven otherwise, as the first three have found their path to the knockout stage wobbly while Germany collapsed in uncharacteristic fashion.

The results can be explained through two arguments. First, the heavyweights are not as trained as they would like to be. The limited time allowed for international football in a year means that the opportunity to fine-tune a national side is restricted. Although coaches put their best bunch together, and also hope for the best, the reliance on highly-skilled individuals is greater than what we see in club football — the ceaseless fretting over Neymar’s fitness in the Brazil camp, for instance.

This brings us to the second point. Teams that do not boast multiple creative outlets look for more pragmatic ways to counter superior opposition. Coaches are aware that it takes a long time to bring the best out of a team. So they focus on the fundamentals. There is a preference for not conceding goals, at the expense of looking to score them.

This is not necessarily ‘negative’ football but rather, as this World Cup has shown, a sense of realism that guides the approach. Teams have played within their means, ensuring that walkovers are mere aberrations. At the time of writing, except for the thrashings suffered by Saudi Arabia (0-5 vs Russia) and Panama (1-6 vs England), there was no other performance that birthed the feeling that a certain team was terribly out of its depth.

The quality sides, of course, will eventually win. After initial fears over the lack of goals, the traditional powers barring Germany have begun to assert themselves by finding the net more often.

Even though no minnow is likely to challenge for the title, the likes of Mexico, Croatia and Uruguay offer possibilities of an underdog going deep into the tournament. A major power may still win the Cup, but teams that make the playing field less unequal are the ones that enrich the game. And long after this World Cup is over, our memory will be illuminated by stories of their giant-scaring, if not killing, acts.

Priyansh is an independent writer based in New Delhi

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