The surprises won't end yet: Why Brazil 2014 is the underdog's World Cup

When the groups for the 2014 FIFA World Cup had been drawn up, few would have expected so many leading lights of the beautiful game to bow out in such ignominy.

Football is always accompanied by ticker-tape information which tells its viewers to expect the unexpected, and there has certainly been plenty of that in South America. Brazil 2014 has been witness to many surprises, and will be for many more.

European sides have always dominated the scene at the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup. One would normally expect sides from the best footballing continent on the planet to do well but it has not been the case this time around.

The knockout stages of Brazil 2014 features only six European teams, the fewest since the tournament was expanded to 32 teams at France ’98.

The last time so few European representatives took part in the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup was during the 1970 World Cup, when only 16 teams were included in the tournament proper. During Mexico 1970, only the Soviet Union, Italy, West Germany and England made it out of the group stages.

From 1974 to 1982, when the knockout stages had been replaced by a Second Group Stage, it wasn’t uncommon to see groups entirely comprise European teams. Only two of the teams in the second round during West Germany 1974, Argentina 1978 and Spain 1982 were from outside Europe.

Because so many of the usual contenders who would normally make it to the Round of 16 are absent, the outcomes of matches in the knockout stages of will be as difficult to predict, much like it has been during the group stages of Brazil 2014,

What will pan out at this tournament features teams that are making history by advancing to the latter stages of the World Cup and that makes for a very entertaining viewing experience with several ‘what if’ moments thrown in for good measure.

What if the Mexicans had managed to hold on to their lead against Netherlands, for example? Had Wesley Sneijder and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar not scored two late, late goals to break Mexican hearts, El Tri would’ve entered the quarter-finals of a World Cup held outside their own nation for the first time.

In Mexico City, fans acknowledged that their team had played like never before but had also lost like never before. Mexico had often bowed out limply during previous Round of 16s but gave it their all and showed bravery and determination this time around.

Mexico did well to get out of their tough group and came within two minutes of knocking out the Netherlands team that walloped defending champions Spain.Beating them would have sent a very strong message of intent to their opponents. The fans are well aware of this, which is why they accorded their team a hero’s welcome when they returned home.

But while one North American team’s accomplishments have been warmly applauded, another has been widely hailed the world over. Who would’ve thought that tiny Costa Rica, a nation of four and a half million people would make it through the Group of Death and represent North America in the last eight of the competition? Surely the heady heights that Los Ticos have now reached weren’t in the script.

Costa Rica are a prime example of how less fancied teams are challenging the most established teams at Brazil 2014. Underdogs taking the game to teams that are considered favourites has been a feature of the tournament so far.

The ripple effect caused by one such unfancied team showing bravery and determination in unsettling their much-vaunted opponents then inspires other unfancied teams to do the same, resulting in the spectacle we’ve seen unfold before us this summer.

Argentina were one of the favourites going into this tournament, but nobody told that to the Iranians and Nigerians. For large swathes of their match, the team from the Middle East stretched the Albiceleste defence with their pace and lobbed passes over opposition defenders. These weren’t aimless crosses that were hoofed forward but calculated passes that almost always reached their opponents.

Had it not been for some inspired keeping by Sergio Romero, Reza Ghoochannejhad and AshkanDejagah might have achieved what many would’ve thought unthinkable. Fortunately for the Argentines, they had Lionel Messi to bail them out of a very uncomfortable situation.

They would require his services against the Nigerians as well. Blessed with pace and physical prowess, the Super Eagles quickly equalised after the Argentines had scored their first two goals and showed that they weren’t only there to make up the numbers. Had they not run out of steam in the closing stages, Nigeria could’ve come away with a share of the spoils.

Proving that their showing against the South Americans was no flash in the pan, they held France for nearly 80 minutes in Brasilia and had a plethora of chances to repeat what Senegal did to Les Bleus in 2002. In the end, it was the individual quality of the French that took them over the line. But Nigeria are not the only African team to take a leaf from Costa Rica’s book.

Ghana showed that they would not be intimidated by the pedigree of the Germans and that showed when they came from behind to take the lead against the National mannschaft. Although that match ended in a draw, the Germans were indebted to keeper Manuel Neuer and striker Miroslav Klose for keeping them in the game.

Fellow Africans Algeria also showed that they were undaunted by the three-time World Cup winners. Qualifying for the knockout stages for the first time at a World Cup, they held mighty Germany to a goalless draw and forced them to play extra time. When was the last time that happened?

Previously, teams that weren’t normally expected to win games would set themselves up to defend, allowing their more hallowed opponents more time on the ball and therefore plenty of time to dictate play.

What’s changed is that these teams are now attacking at will, going toe-to-toe with those teams that are ranked above them. This puts them opponents under pressure and forces them to allocate more resources towards defending, re-organising and transitioning themselves from defence to attack: resources that would’ve otherwise been used going forward.

This in turn means that the favourites have less time to attack and dominate proceedings, putting themselves under pressure and committing errors which inadvertently allowing their opponents back into the game.

Although a majority of these teams lost in the Round of 16, they achievements and the manner in which they went about playing football will have given them plenty of confidence and belief that they can go one better at Russia 2018. Brazil 2014 may have forever changed the manner in which FIFA World Cups pan out in the future because of the increased amount of quality brought to them by teams outside Europe.

The unpredictability of results shows the extent to which football has developed in lesser-known countries, and teams can now build on this in future tournaments, thereby reflecting a more level playing field which in the past has been skewed towards European teams because of the quality they possess.

Brazil 2014 has brought as much despair to those who’ve been on the receiving end of upsets as it has brought entertainment to football fans throughout the world. The match-ups among the teams that are in the knockout stages of this competition contain in them the promise of many more upsets.And with it, the guarantee of plenty of entertainment.