What a week for many teams, both in embarrassing exits and frenzied hysteria for others.

With Italy and France, both finalists from the last World Cup, gone and replaced by smaller, lesser-known countries in the last 16, no one knows what will happen next.

I said from the start that the champions, with the average age of the squad, would have a tough time of things.

You can't have that many ageing players on the same team and expect great things. You have to look at the conditions, the amount of games that have to be played as well as the age and fitness, all of which play a huge role.

With all the pressure added to these factors, I wasn't expecting them to do that well, it is unfortunate but that's the way it goes.

With the French, it was an embarrassment and the players have to learn that they are there to play, not to tell the association what to do. I don't know what exactly happened, but Anelka has been known to be in trouble befiore and he has probably let what was going on to get to him and it is a shame.

France have been known to be a power but this year I don't think they were prepared for it. It is funny to see how it has all transpired when the reason they got the big dance in the first place was a handball from Thierry Henry.

This could be their payback for that incident and they need to sort their own back yard out now.

It was pleasing to see the United States go through because they work so hard and when you look at them in the football sense, it is still all new to them. They have tons of kids playing and college teams playing.

Fate has a way of playing in the right way at times, from their goal that was disallowed for them to qualifying in the dying stages with the Landon Donavan goal, it is good to see them advance.

Of all the games in the last 16, the old enemies, England and Germany, should be a mouth-watering game and you should see some exciting football.

The games now will be of a higher standard with teams knowing that they need a win because it is knockout, and good teams will be able to get wins.

Argentina are playing some good stuff and although they had a hard time in getting to the finals, Maradonna has them playing as good as any team in the tournament at the moment.

With the other match when it happens, either Brazil and Spain, or Portugal and Spain, it will surely be a classic.

You can't hide the fact that Spain are a great team and the match-up of either will be great.

It will come down to the team who plays the better football will win.

Spain are a very good team, and they know that, as well as Brazil and Portugal.

Yesterday's match was a close one mainly because the two sides have already qualified, and no one wanted to show the other their hand for going forward.

Both had players missing, and that could have been a contributing factor, and in the end it was a fair result.