How Spain can knock France off their 'World Cup favourites' perch

And so there were four. As it happens, the four still standing at this World Cup are the same quartet who sit atop FIFA's international food chain. A semi-final line-up for the ages. Aren't we lucky?

Perhaps this was the inevitable outcome when the draw was seeded in a way that made it impossible for the top-rated nations to meet one another before this stage. But let's not dig into politics. Not now anyway. Two tantalising ties lie in wait, starting with France vs Spain on Tuesday.