Ecuador first South American country to bow out of FIFA World Cup

Rio de Janeiro, June 26 (IANS) A tight goalless draw has seen France through to the knockout round of the 2014 World Cup as Group E winners and pushed their opponents Ecuador out of the competition.

Ecuador became the first team to bow out despite earning at least four points and the only South American country to be eliminated during the group stage, with Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay all successfully navigating into the round of 16, reports Xinhua.

Following are the teams qualified for the round of 16 after Wednesday's matches:

Group A: Brazil and Mexico

Group B: The Netherlands and Chile

Group C: Colombia and Greece

Group D: Costa Rica and Uruguay

Group E: France and Switzerland

Group F: Argentina and Nigeria

Group H: Belgium