If you are like me, you are still having severe post-World Cup withdrawal symptoms. The daily treat of football matches at ungodly hours of the night across June and July became a routine we can all get very used to. That is because despite all the pre-tournament protests and concerns, Brazil did not half put on a show. So seven days on from the Rio finale, it is about time they get some overdue credit.
It oh, so nearly got off to the nightmare start, with Marcelo's own-goal 11 minutes in threatening to provide the quickest possible blow. In the end, it climaxed with the nightmare finish, being eliminated just in time to be humiliated twice on home soil and concede in a fashion not seen for decades. The World Cup was a victory for Brazil itself, but not for Big Phil and the Selecao.
Not that England had much to shout about either. Crashing out in such a dire manner angered and frustrated the entire nation and the finger-pointing was largely aimed at manager, Roy Hodgson, despite widely pessimistic predictions of our tournament prospects beforehand.
Okay, his substitutions were a little confusing and his likeness for Danny Welbeck is mind-boggling. But how do you stop poor defending (vs. Italy) and poor heading (vs. Uruguay) when you have your so-called "best" personnel effectively losing matches for you?
The problem is the players - but it is not their fault. There is just not enough "world-class" players in our squad. And given the amount of shocks at this World Cup - not least in England's own group - the Three Lions can count themselves hugely unlucky to have been given the draw they received. Yet people seem to confuse their own optimism for expectation - and unfairly berate the team when they are disappointed.
It would have been a great achievement to have got out of that group - even if Italy and Uruguay did not turn up. But Hodgson's decision to take a flurry of very young talent, and expose them (inadvertently, of course) to the ultimate disappointment of crashing out of the group stage before game three could spur them on as they grow into mature, talented footballers.
But apart from English atrocities, it was a celebration of football to remember. Shocks were a major feature of the finals. The world champions crashed out of the group after a staggering 5-1 mauling at the hands of the Dutch - this on day two of the competition. That was the team performance of the tournament for me - and showed us a little of what we might expect from Louis Van Gaal next season at Old Trafford.
Then you have Costa Rica. If we knew they were that good form the start, Group D would have been made the Group of Death without any question. Their limelight was almost stolen by the heroic Greeks in a penalty-shootout, but more than earned their place in the quarter-finals by giving Van Gaal's men a real run for their money - and judging by Holland's semi-final exit, were undone by the manager's ballsy call to bring Tim Krul on for penalties. Yet all the credit seemed to go Louis. Funny, that.
The Greeks, incidentally, did provide me with my moment of the tournament, as I celebrated completing my final exam after an arduous first year at university by watching Georgios Samaras tuck away a last-minute penalty to send Greece through to the last 16 for the first time ever, as chaos ensued in my flat.
The big boys were not immune to the odd scare or two during these championships. Argentina came close to being outdone by Iran, while Algeria shocked the world by getting out of Group H and recording a personal best for Africa as two teams made it to the last 16. Best second-half of the tournament award has to go to Germany's draw with Ghana, in a game either side could have lost, and potentially reshape the destiny of the tournament.
As the knockout stages came around, the goals dried up, but the excitement failed to stop. We saw one of the best, if not the best goal of the tournament by one of, if not the best player of the tournament, James Rodriguez (well, it was not Lionel Messi!), who looks to have got himself a move to Real Madrid after taking Colombia to the quarter-finals with six goals.
It also produced my favourite game of the tournament, which was Belgium and the United States' epic extra-time alone. A game with all the perfect ingredients of a classic - a game that you just could not take your eyes off, and one that no-one deserved to lose. USA's cringey battle cry meant that I had to side with the Belgians on that occasion, even if it was littered with under-par Chelsea players.
There were also dramatic late shows from the Netherlands and Argentina plus a blockbuster of a free-kick from PSG's David Luiz, in what would be the host nation's final positive act. In the end, we had two mouth-watering semi-finals that disappointed for the wrong reasons.
Netherlands versus Argentina was never going to live up to the drama that had preceded it; two hours in search of a goal without reward had many falling asleep. Not sure what else to say about that game, to be honest, although, it certainly did seem to justify Van Gaal's goalkeeper tactics in the previous round as poor Jasper Cillessen - yet to save any penalty - could not get near the accurate Argies.
This is a massive understatement, but Germany's trouncing of Brazil, at the World Cup, in Brazil was something to behold. Initially expecting a close game, the game was over when Miroslav Klose broke the all-time World Cup goalscoring record to make it 2-0. But then they scored a third. Then a fourth. And then a fifth. It was utter humiliation. So much to the point where it stopped being enjoyable. But what a team they are. After so much disappointment in the past, this could be a new era of domination for the Germans.
The final, on the other hand was a much more watchable affair. It may have been even better had Gonzalo Higuain not missed a real gift of an opportunity in the first half (bullet dodged there, Arsene), and we may be sitting here praising Lionel Messi instead of the Germans - or Higuain, for that matter. But the Germans' victory was fully deserved. Argentina had been uninspiring throughout the whole tournament and relied on their defence - thought by many to be their weakness - to see them through.
It was a goal fitting of winning the World Cup. The touch, the elegance, the control, the finish and the sweet feeling of the late goal that Andres Iniesta delivered four years ago for Spain was enjoyed by Germany's Mario Goetze. It drew Brazil's historic World Cup to a close, that will not live long in the memory of many Englishmen, but will live long in the memory of football fans. Thanks, Brazil.
It oh, so nearly got off to the nightmare start, with Marcelo's own-goal 11 minutes in threatening to provide the quickest possible blow. In the end, it climaxed with the nightmare finish, being eliminated just in time to be humiliated twice on home soil and concede in a fashion not seen for decades. The World Cup was a victory for Brazil itself, but not for Big Phil and the Selecao.
Not that England had much to shout about either. Crashing out in such a dire manner angered and frustrated the entire nation and the finger-pointing was largely aimed at manager, Roy Hodgson, despite widely pessimistic predictions of our tournament prospects beforehand.
Okay, his substitutions were a little confusing and his likeness for Danny Welbeck is mind-boggling. But how do you stop poor defending (vs. Italy) and poor heading (vs. Uruguay) when you have your so-called "best" personnel effectively losing matches for you?
The problem is the players - but it is not their fault. There is just not enough "world-class" players in our squad. And given the amount of shocks at this World Cup - not least in England's own group - the Three Lions can count themselves hugely unlucky to have been given the draw they received. Yet people seem to confuse their own optimism for expectation - and unfairly berate the team when they are disappointed.
It would have been a great achievement to have got out of that group - even if Italy and Uruguay did not turn up. But Hodgson's decision to take a flurry of very young talent, and expose them (inadvertently, of course) to the ultimate disappointment of crashing out of the group stage before game three could spur them on as they grow into mature, talented footballers.
But apart from English atrocities, it was a celebration of football to remember. Shocks were a major feature of the finals. The world champions crashed out of the group after a staggering 5-1 mauling at the hands of the Dutch - this on day two of the competition. That was the team performance of the tournament for me - and showed us a little of what we might expect from Louis Van Gaal next season at Old Trafford.
Then you have Costa Rica. If we knew they were that good form the start, Group D would have been made the Group of Death without any question. Their limelight was almost stolen by the heroic Greeks in a penalty-shootout, but more than earned their place in the quarter-finals by giving Van Gaal's men a real run for their money - and judging by Holland's semi-final exit, were undone by the manager's ballsy call to bring Tim Krul on for penalties. Yet all the credit seemed to go Louis. Funny, that.
The Greeks, incidentally, did provide me with my moment of the tournament, as I celebrated completing my final exam after an arduous first year at university by watching Georgios Samaras tuck away a last-minute penalty to send Greece through to the last 16 for the first time ever, as chaos ensued in my flat.
The big boys were not immune to the odd scare or two during these championships. Argentina came close to being outdone by Iran, while Algeria shocked the world by getting out of Group H and recording a personal best for Africa as two teams made it to the last 16. Best second-half of the tournament award has to go to Germany's draw with Ghana, in a game either side could have lost, and potentially reshape the destiny of the tournament.
As the knockout stages came around, the goals dried up, but the excitement failed to stop. We saw one of the best, if not the best goal of the tournament by one of, if not the best player of the tournament, James Rodriguez (well, it was not Lionel Messi!), who looks to have got himself a move to Real Madrid after taking Colombia to the quarter-finals with six goals.
It also produced my favourite game of the tournament, which was Belgium and the United States' epic extra-time alone. A game with all the perfect ingredients of a classic - a game that you just could not take your eyes off, and one that no-one deserved to lose. USA's cringey battle cry meant that I had to side with the Belgians on that occasion, even if it was littered with under-par Chelsea players.
There were also dramatic late shows from the Netherlands and Argentina plus a blockbuster of a free-kick from PSG's David Luiz, in what would be the host nation's final positive act. In the end, we had two mouth-watering semi-finals that disappointed for the wrong reasons.
Netherlands versus Argentina was never going to live up to the drama that had preceded it; two hours in search of a goal without reward had many falling asleep. Not sure what else to say about that game, to be honest, although, it certainly did seem to justify Van Gaal's goalkeeper tactics in the previous round as poor Jasper Cillessen - yet to save any penalty - could not get near the accurate Argies.
This is a massive understatement, but Germany's trouncing of Brazil, at the World Cup, in Brazil was something to behold. Initially expecting a close game, the game was over when Miroslav Klose broke the all-time World Cup goalscoring record to make it 2-0. But then they scored a third. Then a fourth. And then a fifth. It was utter humiliation. So much to the point where it stopped being enjoyable. But what a team they are. After so much disappointment in the past, this could be a new era of domination for the Germans.
The final, on the other hand was a much more watchable affair. It may have been even better had Gonzalo Higuain not missed a real gift of an opportunity in the first half (bullet dodged there, Arsene), and we may be sitting here praising Lionel Messi instead of the Germans - or Higuain, for that matter. But the Germans' victory was fully deserved. Argentina had been uninspiring throughout the whole tournament and relied on their defence - thought by many to be their weakness - to see them through.
It was a goal fitting of winning the World Cup. The touch, the elegance, the control, the finish and the sweet feeling of the late goal that Andres Iniesta delivered four years ago for Spain was enjoyed by Germany's Mario Goetze. It drew Brazil's historic World Cup to a close, that will not live long in the memory of many Englishmen, but will live long in the memory of football fans. Thanks, Brazil.
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