Eight Nations Still Standing
So we are down to 8 teams left and it is getting hard to pick from them. The second round games were closer than most expected. Brazil and Costa Rica required penalties. Germany, Argentina and Belgium required extra time. Netherlands required a last minute winner and France took 79 minutes to break down their non-fancied opposition. Colombia were the only team that qualified with relative ease.
So the face of the competition changes again. This time it is Belgium and Colombia that have made the biggest strides according to the bookies. Their odds before the Round of 16 of 20/1 have both shortened quite dramatically to 12/1. Netherlands have closed the gap to move closer to the big 3 again. Despite making it to the Quarter Finals Argentina are no more likely to win the competition than they were before the tournament - they remain at 4/1. Is this an indication that they have failed to impress so far? Germany have actually moved backwards slightly. Brazil and France have moved forward but only slightly. Chile will be the most disappointed of the teams going home - at 25/1 they had been credited with a better chance of winning outright than the Round of 16 losers.
And in the battle for the top scorer there is a new man in town. James Rodriguez for Colombia was 100/1 before the tournament and dispite scoring in every group game he remained a bargain at 33/1. However his brace in the Round of 16 boosted him to second favourite to be top scorer - ahead of Neymar, Van Persie, Muller and Banzema now.
So the face of the competition changes again. This time it is Belgium and Colombia that have made the biggest strides according to the bookies. Their odds before the Round of 16 of 20/1 have both shortened quite dramatically to 12/1. Netherlands have closed the gap to move closer to the big 3 again. Despite making it to the Quarter Finals Argentina are no more likely to win the competition than they were before the tournament - they remain at 4/1. Is this an indication that they have failed to impress so far? Germany have actually moved backwards slightly. Brazil and France have moved forward but only slightly. Chile will be the most disappointed of the teams going home - at 25/1 they had been credited with a better chance of winning outright than the Round of 16 losers.
| Country | pretournament odds | odds after group stage | lateest odds |
| Colombia | 33/1 | 20/1 | 12/1 |
| Belgium | 20/1 | 20/1 | 12/1 |
| Netherlands | 35/1 | 15/2 | 5/1 |
| Brazil | 3/1 | 3/1 | 11/4 |
| France | 25/1 | 17/2 | 8/1 |
| Costa Rica | 2000/1 | 50/1 | 50/1 |
| Argentina | 4/1 | 4/1 | 4/1 |
| Germany | 13/2 | 4/1 | 9/2 |
| Algeria | 2000/1 | 200/1 | - |
| Nigeria | 300/1 | 200/1 | - |
| Greece | 300/1 | 100/1 | - |
| Switzerland | 125/1 | 100/1 | - |
| United States | 200/1 | 80/1 | - |
| Uruguay | 28/1 | 40/1 | - |
| Mexico | 200/1 | 33/1 | - |
| Chile | 40/1 | 25/1 | - |
| Honduras | 3000/1 | - | - |
| Iran | 1500/1 | - | - |
| Australia | 1000/1 | - | - |
| Cameroon | 500/1 | - | - |
| South Korea | 400/1 | - | - |
| Ecuador | 200/1 | - | - |
| Ghana | 200/1 | - | - |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 175/1 | - | - |
| Croatia | 150/1 | - | - |
| Japan | 150/1 | - | - |
| Ivory Coast | 125/1 | - | - |
| Russia | 100/1 | - | - |
| England | 28/1 | - | - |
| Portugal | 28/1 | - | - |
| Italy | 25/1 | - | - |
| Spain | 13/2 | - | - |
And in the battle for the top scorer there is a new man in town. James Rodriguez for Colombia was 100/1 before the tournament and dispite scoring in every group game he remained a bargain at 33/1. However his brace in the Round of 16 boosted him to second favourite to be top scorer - ahead of Neymar, Van Persie, Muller and Banzema now.
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