Five things we have learnt from the World Cup knockout stages so far

So the knockout stages are firmly underway and they have not disappointed. We have been treated to penalty shootouts, extra time, goals and a couple of controversial incidents too. In short, this World Cup is spoiling us a fair bit!

As the last couple of knockout stage games take place, here is a look at five things we have seen so far.

Goalkeepers galore – From the excellent Memo Ochoa and his heroics for Mexico to Brazil’s Julio Cesar, it seems to be the tournament for goalkeepers. Keylor Navas has been the latest to impress and now finds himself linked with a move to the Premier League as a reward. Top class.

Are you Tom Daley in disguise? – Arjen Robben has a bit of a reputation as a diver and has not made things any better for himself with his performance against Mexico. He may have won the winning penalty but it has not won him a whole heap of fans – unlike Mexico, who are clearly the people’s choice!

Pronounce it how you want, the boy is class – James Rodriguez is lighting up the World Cup and his teammates have not been too shabby either. Columbia have been top class and impressed whenever they have played. We cannot wait to see their knockout quarter final against Brazil and if their last 16 tie was anything to go by, we are in for a treat.

Deserve and get are two very different concepts in football – Both Chile and Mexico won the support of the masses and deserved far more than being knocked out by a penalty shootout and a last minute dubious penalty respectively. Not for the first time, the concept of deserve and get in football do not measure up for some.

Bottle is the name of the game – From both Navas and Cesar saving penalties to Neymar stepping up and taking a penalty with the most pressure on anyone since Didier Drogba stepped up in Munich, some players are showing that they have serious bottle. Others are hiding away and borrowing Harry’s cloak of invisibility. Yes Oscar, we are looking at you.

What did the first set of knockout games show you? Let us know your thoughts below or tweet us @LaFootyettes.