Surprise, surprise – shock and awe at the World Cup

It started a tad flat, but the Fifa World Cup has exploded into life as the knockout stage looms.

Starting with Argentina’s shock loss to Saudi Arabia, the upsets and surprises have been coming thick and fast in Qatar.

Indeed, anxiety levels have gone through the roof, leaving both players and fans reduced to tears – both happy and sad ones – as six of the first eight groups were decided in dramatic fashion.

Ahead of the final day of group play, here are the five biggest surprises of the tournament so far.

1. Germany bombing out at the group stage

It’s happened again, would you believe it?

A 4-2 win over Costa Rica yesterday wasn’t enough for the European heavyweights to avoid failing to advance out of their group for a second straight tournament.

Before the then reigning champions bowed out in the group stage in Russia in 2018, the fourtimes champions had not tasted such a bitter feeling.

As German forward Thomas Mu¨ ller said yesterday: ‘‘This is an absolute catastrophe.’’

Four years ago, losses to South Korea and Mexico doomed them. In Qatar, it was their opening 2-1 defeat to Japan.

Expect their world ranking (11th) to take a significant hit in the aftermath of their demise, one you can just about hear the English celebrating from here.

2. Saudi Arabia rock Argentina

King Salman wasted little time ordering a public holiday in the aftermath of one the biggest upsets in World Cup history.

Their scarcely believable 2-1 win over the Lionel Messi-led Argentines last week didn’t just come with a day off work, either.

Influential sports official Turki Al-Sheikh, the head of the Saudi entertainment authority, also gifted free entry to three amusement parks for Saudis keen to celebrate the come-from-behind win.

Fair enough. Only Ghana (61st) are ranked lower than Saudi Arabia (51st) amongst countries competing in Qatar. As for Argentina, they’re ranked third on the planet.

But there would be no more wins or public holidays. Beaten 2-0 by Poland and 2-1 by Mexico, the Saudis eventually finished last in the group.

Messi and co, meanwhile, recovered to top the group and set up a clash with Australia.

3. A Belgium flop

There’s a fair argument that Belgium’s ‘‘golden generation’’ disappointing at yet another major tournament isn’t a surprise.

However, they aren’t squirming out of this list, not after failing to get out of a group containing Croatia (ranked 12th), Morocco (22nd) and Canada (41st).

After all, the Red Devils went into the tournament ranked second in the world behind Brazil, yet only managed to beat the defensively inept Canadians.

The ‘‘golden generation’’ is kaput. Dismantled on a night wasteful 29-year-old striker Romeulu Lukaku wouldn’t have hit the broad side of a barn.

He did, however, hit the team’s dugout, albeit with his fist, after the match, before assistant coach Thierry Henry consoled the sobbing forward.

‘‘A historic shocker,’’ as one international football reporter labelled it.

4. Japan and Australia fly the flag for Asia

Admit it, you looked at the groups ahead of the tournament and didn’t give Japan and Australia a chance of advancing.

There’s no shame in that. Yet here they are, flying the flag in the round-of-16, two underdogs from the Asia Football Confederation.

South Korea, third in Group H with a game to play, could yet join them in the business end of the tournament today, too.

As impressive as it was for Australia to advance from a group featuring world champions France and European 2020 semifinalists Denmark in second place, Japan topping Group E overshadows it.

Beating European heavyweights Germany and Spain will do that, even if they did, somehow, lose 1-0 to Costa Rica.

5. Rise of the Africans

Speaking of unlikely group winners, how about Morocco beating out Croatia, Belgium and Canada to take the cake in Group F?

Some might even argue the 22nd ranked North Africans doing so is more of a surprise than Japan’s feat.

Regardless, they’re one of two dangerous African sides – the other is Senegal – locked in for suddendeath football.

And they could soon have company in the form of Ghana and Cameroon, with the former a real chance of advancing when the final two groups are settled today.

What’s certain is England, who face Senegal in the round-of-16, will be on edge against a side everyone remembers for their momentous upset of France in the opening match of the 2002 World Cup.