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Exited in the Round of 16
Argentina
As runners-up of the previous edition, Argentina could have gone only one better – it went several notches worse. If the draw against Iceland was a disappointment, Croatia provided a school-boy hiding and France sunk them deep after a rare glimmer of hope. I was only happy they scored a third against the French to make their exit more respectable than it really was.
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In a World Cup expected to be Messi’s symphony, Maradona’s histrionics off the field made more noise – that summed up Argentina’s campaign.
Portugal
“The greatest ever” debate was short lived as Messi’s exit was followed by Ronaldo’s departure later in the day. Portugal were defensive and at times boring right through their four games, barring magical long-range strikes from Ronaldo against Spain and Quaresma against Iran. Ronaldo’s brilliance carried them over for a draw against Spain in their opening encounter. That performance was a hard one to replicate every game and the collective effort lacked the adequate spine to get them beyond Uruguay in the Round of 16.
