•This year’s FIFA World Cup™ has taken on a distinctly European flavour. For the fourth time in 18 editions of the global showpiece, the final quartet all hail from the old continent, with three former world champions among them.

• On two of those three occasions, the host nation lifted the Trophy.

• Six goals were netted during this year’s emotionally-charged quarter-finals, with three of them coming from an Italy side so often lauded for their defensive prowess but on this occasion notably more ruthless in attack than Ukraine. That total is a slight improvement on the five registered in 2002, but lags a long way behind the 11 goals scored in 1998.

• For the third time in four FIFA World Cup meetings, Brazil came off second best to a France side.

• Hosts Germany have also written their name into the record books, winning their fourth FIFA World Cup penalty shoot-out in four attempts.

• England’s outgoing coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, meanwhile, must be sick of facing Luiz Felipe Scolari in the latter stages of major competitions. Eriksson’s charges lost to Scolari’s Brazil team in the quarter-finals at Korea/Japan 2002, to his Portugal side at the same stage of Uefa Euro 2004, and this World Cup too.