Germany’s wait was over. After 24 long years including a lost home edition in 2006, the Germans were finally back on top of the world after defeating Argenitna 1-0 with a Mario Goetze extra time strike.

But Germany’s highlight came in the semi-final when they faced host country and favourites Brazil.

Both Brazil and Germany reached the semi-finals with an undefeated record in the competition, with the Brazilians' quarter-final with Colombiacausing them to lose striker Neymar to injury, and defender and captain Thiago Silva to accumulation of yellow cards. Despite the absences, a close match was expected, given both teams were traditional FIFA World Cup forces, sharing eight tournaments won and having previously met in the 2002 FIFA World Cup Final, where Brazil won 2–0 and earned their fifth title. This match, however, ended in a shocking loss for Brazil; Germany led 5–0 at half time, with four goals scored within six minutes, and subsequently brought the score up to 7–0 in the second half. Brazil scored a consolation goal in the last minute, ending the match 7–1. Germany's Toni Kroos was selected as the man of the match.

This marked the biggest defeat in Brazilian football since 1920.

Miroslav Klose's goal in this match was his 16th throughout all World Cups, breaking the record he had previously shared with Ronaldo. Klose set another record by becoming the first player to appear in four World Cup semi-finals.

Miroslav Klose of Germany celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Semi Final match between Brazil and Germany at Estadio Mineirao on July 8, 2014, and setting a all-time record of 16 goals scored during World Cup finals.

Colombia’s James Rodriguez was the top scorer of the tournament with six goals, with Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas the emerging start with some heroic string of saves that helped Costa Rica win the group in front of Uruguay, Italy and England.

Both Italy and England had a dismal World Cup, both exiting from the group, with the only consolation for the Azzurri coming from their opening win against their European rivals.

The image of Luis Suarez sitting on the ground holding his teeth remains one of the most abiding moments of the World Cup in Brazil.

Fresh from scoring two goals to help his team beat England 2-1 in a group match Uruguay needed to win, Suarez was expected to play a prominent role against Italy to spearhead his team’s advancement to the round of 16.

He did play a leading role — only not in the way most had anticipated.

Toward the end of the match, Suarez inexplicably bit Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini on the shoulder following a tussle in the penalty area. The referee didn’t see the incident, which proved costly for the Azzurri because Uruguay soon scored the only goal of the match.

Suarez faced severe retrospective action, however. He was suspended from all football-related activity for four months, slapped with a nine-match international ban and given a big fine.

Uruguay’s Luis Suarez’s biting incident on Italian Giorgio Chiellini in the late stages of the Uruguay vs Italy match. Uruguay went on to win the match 1-0 to eliminate the Azzurri from the World Cup group stages.

Suarez wasn’t new to biting. This was his third offense on the field following previous incidents for Ajax and Liverpool. Suarez’s bad habit didn’t put off Barcelona, who weeks later bought the striker from Liverpool for about $130 million.

It was Suarez’s second controversial World Cup moment. In the last minute of extra time in a hard-fought 2010 quarterfinal match against Ghana, Suarez was sent off after he used his hands to keep out Dominic Adiyiah’s goal-bound header. Asamoah Gyan hit the bar on the ensuing penalty, and Suarez was shown celebrating on the sideline.

Ghana went on to lose the penalty shootout, thereby failing to become Africa’s first semifinalist as the continent staged its first World Cup.

Suarez says he is a reformed character and will be better behaved in Russia.

“I have a debt to repay to myself and Uruguay,” Suarez said recently, “to try to show a good image.”

Time will tell.