And then there were four.
Two European and two South American nations remain to battle it out for the ultimate prize in football. The manner in which the competition progressed this was perhaps the semi-final games that most expected to see.
An all South American final at the Maracana on Sunday 20th July is a very real possibility.
Brazil v Germany
The dreams of the host nation just about remain in one piece but they will have to carry on without their beloved number ten.
The shining light of their tournament so far has been Neymar. He has so often dragged Brazil through games with his goals and skill. A fractured vertebrae in his back means that he misses the remainder of the competition but arguably just as big a loss is that of captain Thiago Silva.
A rather foolish booking for the PSG man after blocking the Colombian keeper in the quarter-final means that the organiser of the back line misses out. Likely to replace him is Dante who is a red card waiting to happen and it remains to be seen if the likes of David Luiz can step up and organise the back line enough to get them through.
Replacing such an exciting number ten is no mean feat but Brazil do have some depth in talent. Not so much in their front line or at least what they have been used to, the likes of Fred, Hulk and Jo all flattering to deceive. It is likely to be a straight choice between Willian and Bernard to replace Neymar.
The Germans only look to be without Mustafi so they will be ominously strong going into this game. A little like Brazil in that they have yet to set the competition alight although their first game thrashing of Portugal did raise a few eyebrows but this is the Germans we are talking about here. Nothing but efficiency should be a surprise where they are concerned.
They have never left a competition before the quarter final stage which says an awful lot about how they approach the World Cup and a lesson that many nations could learn from.
A team with in-form Muller and an impressive goalkeeper that is arguably one of the most confident players around in Neuer, they have every chance of making the final even in the hostile atmosphere that they will face in this semi-final.
In the last four meetings, Brazil have the upper hand with two wins and a draw. Two were international friendlies, Germany won 3-2 in 2011 and it was a 1-1 draw in 2004. The most recent competitive match was in the Confederations Cup in 2005 which Brazil won 3-2. Their previous meeting at the World Cup was 2002 in Japan and South Korea which Brazil won 2-0 before going on to take the title.
Prediction: Brazil 1-2 Germany
Netherlands v Argentina
The Dutch can count themselves lucky to be in this semi-final as their quarter-final opponents Costa Rica gave them a huge fright. It took penalties to see off the surprise package of the tournament.
In and amongst the bad press that Bayern Munich player Arjen Robben has been receiving, he is the major contributor to this run by the Dutch. Yes, he hits the floor far too easily but he was targeted all too often by the Costa Ricans. It is easy to dislike him but his attacking prowess is second to none and is likely to be a major influence in the game.
The problem is when Robben has a poor game, it is difficult to see who will step up. An in-form Sneijder could be that player but he so often seems like he is going through the motions and could do so much better.
As for Argentina, the same could be said. Their talisman is Lionel Messi and he has dragged his team to the semi-finals much like Robben has done for the Netherlands. Without him, they could well be home from the tournament already. His influence on this team is incredible and he has already been likened to the Maradona from Mexico 86.
The Dutch will look to test the Argentine keeper Romero who could well be the weak link for the Argentines. What he has done has not been convincing and a side facing up to van Gaal will have to protect him an awful lot better in this one.
Both teams have injury concerns with Di Maria and de Jong out of the semi-final and Fer is a major doubt for the Dutch.
These two sides have faced each other five times since 1974, four of which in the World Cup finals. The one friendly between them was won by the Dutch 1-0 in 2003. Only one of the World Cup games went to penalties which Argentina won in 1978. In 1974 the Netherlands won 4-0 and 2-1 in 1998. They played out a goalless draw in the group stages in 2006.
Prediction: Netherlands 1-2 Argentina
