Germany 7-1 Brazil
Not any of the three England played. For the sheer novelty of it, I would have to say that being in Belo Horizonte for Brazil?s 7-1 stuffing stood out. During that period in which Germany scored four goals in quick succession it was as if anything could happen: a pitch invasion, a player, or players, walking off.
IAN HERBERT ? football correspondent
Australia 2-3 Netherlands
It was more than indefatigability that the tournament?s lowest ranked nation displayed against one of the best. Australia were behind for a minute, ahead for eight minutes and should have taken an unassailable 3-1 lead. They provided the spectacle of Matt McKay, of Brisbane Roar, dominating midfield. And all that before a certain Tim Cahill goal.
GLENN MOORE ? football editor
Germany 2-2 Ghana
It was not just thrilling, but also technically of a high quality. It was not error-free, both sides spurned chances to win, but it underlined Ghana?s potential, which is sadly still to be realised, and the class of Germany, which has subsequently been seen.
JACK PITT-BROOKE ? football writer
Germany 2-2 Ghana
Before Germany moved into machine mode, they were a dangerously open side. Their second group game, against Ghana, was an end-to-end classic. Both teams exposed each other defensively and it was only poor finishing which kept the score this low. It prompted Joachim L?w to change to 4-2-3-1, but it was great fun at the time.
TIM RICH ? football writer
Brazil 2-1 Colombia
For sheer, shrieking, edge-of-your seats drama the last 20 minutes could not be bettered. The injury to Neymar was merely the chaotic climax to a frenzied game. Given what happened to him against the Germans, David Luiz?s spectacular free-kick is destined to become lost in the wash.
SIMON HART ? football writer
Belgium 2-1 United States
The thrilling last-16 tie between Belgium and US got better the longer it went on. Tim Howard made a record-breaking 16 saves to keep Belgium at bay until extra time and even at 2-0 down, the spirited Americans somehow found an extra gear and nearly forced a shoot-out.
MIGUEL DELANEY ? football writer
Brazil 1-1 Chile
At the time, it seemed like the kind of nervous knife-edge moment that could finally give Brazil momentum. Instead, it foreshadowed their eventual collapse. Because of that push-and-pull as well as the bravery of Chile, it was one of the most fascinating games.
