FIFA World Cup: Fresh faces and fallen giants light up group stage

It was something of a slow burn but when the group stage of the World Cup eventually caught fire it blazed with dazzling and memorable intensity.

Stunning upsets, including the unprecedented exit of both 2006 finalists, deserved progress from some lively outsiders, mouthwatering head-to-heads, goalkeeping howlers and a sumptuous seven-goal exhibition together produced a compelling two weeks.

There have been disappointments too as Africa, with the notable exception of Ghana, failed hopelessly to deliver at their continent's first World Cup with South Africa becoming the first host nation not to reach the second phase.

They had high hopes after coming back well to earn a 1-1 draw with Mexico in an exciting opener but, along with several other teams, the hosts will rue their safety-first approach which backfired in a calamitous 3-0 defeat by Uruguay.

Several sides went into their first fixture so transfixed by avoiding defeat that they forgot about trying to win.

For the likes of Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Greece and Serbia those should have been the games they targeted but short-term thinking cost them dear and out they eventually tumbled.

Poor starts
Italy and France were a different case, their poor starts more the product of ragged play rather than lack of ambition.

France's remarkable on and off-pitch implosion will be one of the lasting memories of the tournament.

Feeble in their opening goalless draw with Uruguay, outplayed in defeat by Mexico and mentally destroyed before South Africa put the final nail in their coffin, the French went home in utter disgrace.

Italy, a creaking shadow of the 2006 champions, were not much better, although they at least battled until the very end.

They were sterile in a draw with Paraguay, exposed as woefully short of ideas when held by New Zealand and outclassed in their stunning 3-2 defeat by Slovakia.

The holders and runners-up both went out after finishing last in what appeared fairly mundane groups. The only consolation for their coaches, Marcello Lippi and Raymond Domenech, was that they had already announced they were leaving.

Other big guns also struggled as European champions Spain were undone by Switzerland before recovering with expected wins over Honduras and Chile while England scraped through.

For all the talk of a winter World Cup aiding the European teams, only the Netherlands, through with a 100% record, and Portugal looked as though they could be a real threat.

Spirited displays
South America dominated but it was not just Brazil and Argentina who impressed this time as Uruguay and Paraguay both topped tough-looking groups while Chile managed to get throuugh as runners-up after winning their first two matches.

Joining them in the last 16 are the likes of Slovakia, the United States, Japan and South Korea, all of whom deserved to advance with spirited displays and a real commitment to attack.

Perhaps, after all, there are indeed no easy games in international football.

"There have been plenty of surprises and teams have shown there is not so much difference between them," Dutch winger Arjen Robben told Reuters.

Slovakia's win over Italy, particularly the thunderous last 20 minutes, will probably be remembered as the match of the round but others deserve an honourable mention.

Australia and Serbia were like two heavyweight boxers late in the 12th round as they hammered away at each other in an intense end-to-end scrap that ended with a double knockout -- both teams being eliminated.

North Korea might have been thrashed 7-0 by on-song Portugal but they should remember how they had Brazil briefly quaking at the end of their 2-1 defeat, while New Zealand deserve huge credit for going home unbeaten by Italy, Paraguay and Slovakia.

Pele's famous prediction that an African team would win the World Cup before the end of the century was meant to relate to the 20th but even a 21st-century success is probably a long-shot after yet another disappointing show.

Despite an unprecedented six-team presence the Africans, with in-fighting again a problem, were almost universally outclassed, with Ghana left to fly the continental flag.

It has been dramatic, entertaining and uplifting but for all the splashing by the little fish in the shallows, the sharks of Brazil, Argentina and Germany, with 10 world titles between them, are still circling menacingly in the deep.