Was there ever a danger that Germany and the USA would play out a stalemate to earn both their places in the next round? Not a bit of it. The Germans attacked, the US repelled. And despite the 1-0, both still qualified with heads held high, just as I predicted at the start of the tournament. Portunadlo or Ronaldagal fell short, their talisman an injured man, still able to weave some magic, but not strong enough to cast a spell on this tournament on his own. Ghana fell short of their 2010 achievement, no longer Africa's greatest it seems.