So the 2018 World Cup group stage is at an end and the biggest casualty so far has to be Germany.
John Giles kept us company as England and Belgium played out the final key fixture of the opening round and joined Nathan Murphy in studio to give his thoughts on the action and what is to come as the 16 remaining teams plot their way towards July 15th and the final at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.
England will face Colombia in the last-16 and one thing's for sure, they South American side will pose more of a threat than Tunisia or Panama did.
"It's going to be like a new test for England because the teams they played against didn't [offer much]," he said.
"I think [Gareth Southgate] will go back to the team they played and the system and the formation that they played [in the first two games]."
John also praised the inclusion of the Video Assistant Referee at this World Cup, commenting that, "I think it's been brilliant" and "it's helping the referees 99% of the time".
Acknowledging that it's in its infancy, he expects VAR "to get better" in the years to come as it is honed and used more efficiently.
John also discussed the genius of Lionel Messi's goal against Nigeria in regard to the touches and presence of mind to take the ball the way he did before putting Argentina in the lead with his weaker foot:
On Germany's surprising early exit, John pointed out the flaws in their plan and concluded that they "just weren't good enough" throughout the competition.
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