5 on-pitch takeaways heading into World Cup quarterfinals

The men’s FIFA World Cup is about to enter the quarter-final stage and CTVNews.ca takes a look at the major on-pitch storylines of the past week.

One of the most thrilling men’s World Cups in recent memory – arguably the most for some – approaches its final stages and so it’s time to look back on the week that was.

It was one filled with extremes in emotion, with some realizing the finality of their experience and others the unbridled joy of surviving to fight another day.

Here are CTVNews.ca’s biggest takeaways:

The drama that came with the final round of group matches seemed unparalleled.

Many have lauded this men’s World Cup to have the greatest group stage ever and it’s hard to argue.

There were matches that presented straight do-or-die scenarios like Iran vs. U.S.A. and Senegal vs. Ecuador, major upsets like Japan beating Spain, Cameroon defeating Brazil, Tunisia beating France, and Australia getting past Denmark, and a stoppage-time winner for South Korea against Portugal to clinch a spot in the next round.

Adding to the drama were tie-breaking scenarios that saw Uruguay’s Luis Suarez brought to tears and Mexico missing out on the Round of 16 for the first time since 1990 when the team missed the tournament entirely due to a ban.