We’re doing a roundup of the first two weeks of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. We’re now at the halfway stage. After all the calculations and predictions - remember that headline about UBS bank running 10,000 simulations and predicting Germany would lift the cup again? Maybe investment banks should stick to speculating about stock markets and leave the predicting to the experts. Like Paul the octopus or Achilles the cat.

The knockout stage gets easier for fans of the sport and for the teams - one match, win or lose. Speaking of knockout, what is it anyway with world cup champions getting knocked out in the next world cup? Germany in 2018, Spain in 2014, Italy in 2010\. Great for the game no doubt, but it is disappointing for the fans.

Since we’re discussing Germany’s exit, let’s start our review with that group. Group F, featuring defending champs Deutschland alongside Mexico, South Korea and Sweden. Well, winter or summer, it seems Germany can’t handle Russia...