The World Cup has rarely been, as ice-cream salesmen Ben and Jerry might say, chock-full of surprises, but, for most of its duration, Germany 2006 was virtually a shock-free zone. The nearest thing to an upset prior to the quarter-finals was Trinidad and Tobago’s snatched goalless draw with Sweden back on the tournament’s second day (although Ghanaian fans who watched their team beat the Czech Republic to plant one foot in the second round might beg to differ).
Even the unexpected exits of both Argentina and Brazil, the South American giants, at the last-eight stage, would have been less than dumbfounding to students of World Cup history. Only once – in 1958 – has a World Cup played in Europe not been won by a European team. Moreover, the host nation nearly always plays above itself.
