Suarez bite and ban steals the group stage spotlight

(Agencies) Updated: 2014-06-28 14:35

Robin van Persie of the Netherlands celebrates after scoring a goal against Spain during their 2014 World Cup Group B soccer match at the Fonte Nova arena in Salvador, June 13, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

'Brilliant goal'

The Netherlands are the leading scorers with 10, five of them coming in the first seismic shock of the World Cup - a 5-1 mauling of Spain that set the holders on the path to a first-round exit.

Robin van Persie's brilliant diving header against the Spanish stands as a leading candidate for goal of the tournament, though team mate Arjen Robben's blistering sprint and cool finish to cap the win is also a contender.

Obviously, Van Persie enjoyed his goal.

"It was a brilliant goal, I have to be fair," said Van Persie. "It was a bit of a gamble but just before the pass I saw Iker Casillas out of his goal. It was a header, really a lob-header, but a great goal."

With Spain's exit, the defending champions were eliminated in the first round for the second consecutive World Cup after Italy suffered the same fate four years ago in South Africa.

The World Cup has also been a disappointment for teams from the Asian Football Conference with not one managing a victory. Australia, Iran, Japan and South Korea had three draws and nine defeats and all four went home early.

It was the first time since 1990 that no AFC team had won a game at the World Cup.

By contrast, teams from the Americas have swatted obstacles aside, with eight of the 10 representatives from the CONCACAF and CONMEBOL regions advancing to the last 16.

In addition to the usual powerhouses of Brazil and Argentina, Colombia put their name firmly in the mix with three straight group wins built on the attacking flair and cool finishing of James Rodriguez and Jackson Martinez.

Buoyed by a World Cup start that was beyond all expectations, their long-suffering fans are shirking work, carousing in the streets and painting the nation yellow ahead of Saturday's knockout game against Uruguay.

No European team has won the World Cup on South American soil and, with England, Spain, Portugal and Italy among the big guns to fall at the first hurdle, UEFA's wait may continue.