Into the valley of sudden death

AND then there were 16… After all the joy, pain, controversy and cracking goals of a hugely entertaining sequence of group games, the World Cup today goes into knock-out mode, as Germany and Sweden in Munich, and Argentina and Mexico in Leipzig, play for all or nothing in the opening clashes of the second round.

Argentina, with their staggering depth of quality, will be the hot favourites to eliminate Mexico. How envious must Sven Goran Eriksson have been when he saw that the Argentines were able to call up such world-class attacking talents as Carlos Tevez and Lionel Messi for their scoreless draw with Holland. Neither, you will recall, had been in the starting 11 for that memorable 6-0 thrashing of Serbia & Montenegro — still the tournament’s high water mark — although both did come on late in that game to add a couple of exclamation points to what was a resounding statement of intent.

However, the New World clash in Leipzig will inevitably be consigned to a supporting role here in Germany, where the country is once again set to come to a halt for the host nation’s Old World encounter with Sweden. The latter have blown hot and cold in this tournament but, as England discovered in their crazy 2-2 draw, the Swedes have a resilience and spirit which gives them a fighting chance against the team that’s known, and increasingly idolised, as the Nationalmannschaft in these parts.