“Brazil’s World Cup has been played in the style that so many hoped for once football’s showpiece was awarded to the country regarded as the home of the game’s free spirits. The last three weeks have provided a consistent narrative of fast, attacking football and excitement – exactly as the game’s rulers would have imagined it when they handed the tournament to Brazil. Even the line-up for the last eight has a balance that brings pleasure to the purists, as four teams from the Americas are complimented by a quartet from Europe – all of them group winners.” BBC