Alan Duncan reflects on the uneven performances of the African countries at the World Cup, tantalising and disappointing in equal measure
The scores of Senegalese vendors who mill around the foot of the Eiffel Tower in Paris for once looked every bit as elated and carefree as the wind-up paper birds they release into the air and, very occasionally, back down into the arms of some unsuspecting tourist.
Phil Ball looks back on a strange tournament for the Spanish team, in which they missed out yet again, but for once did not take the rap
Getting beyond the World Cup quarter-finals would have represented a major image problem for Spain. The whole country would have been required to change its mind-set, from might-have-been-if-it-hadn’t-been-for-the-refs to something else less complicated, less open to the historical shrug. There had been signs that the country had been preparing for this, the press beginning to break its self-imposed vow to keep all optimism and flag-waving to a minimum.
France's previous triumphs have shielded both players and coach from too much derision after their embarassing exit, says Neil McCarthy
It is worth underlining just how bad France were. Reigning World Cup champions have frequently disappointed, but never to this extent. Despite boasting the leading strikers of the French, English and Italian leagues, they didn’t even score a single goal. It was the worst performance of a World Cup holder, surpassing the 1962 winners Brazil, who at least managed to score goals and win one of three matches in 1966.
The US saw their maserplan for World Cup domination fall into place. Rich Zahradnik offers an insight on their tournament
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! The sound inside my head when the alarm clock goes off at 1.20am for Argentina v Nigeria. One -twenty in the morning. I am not meant to be awake now. I am old. My living room is dark, quiet, empty. I don’t even bother to turn the light on. Daytime from the TV is strange at this hour, filling the room with Asian sunshine. I can’t have a cup of coffee because I need to go back to bed in a couple of hours for another couple of hours, so that I can wake up and watch England v Sweden then drive for an hour and a half to play for my Sunday league side and then talk intelligently with my team-mates about these games I’m probably not even going to remember.
David O'Byrne saw the Turkey outdo all World Cup expectations despite Hakan Sukur's baleful influence
Before the start of the World Cup, few Turks had expected their team to last as far as the semi-finals. After the first two group matches, that number had shrunk considerably. As a scenario of failure, relinquishing a one-goal lead not once but twice had a distinctly familiar ring. A decade of senselessly chucking away promising positions was capped last November when Turkey gifted Sweden two goals in the last three minutes of the final qualifying match, leaving them to face a play-off against Austria.