In a week of international football which boasted drama, goals and even a brawl, John O’Shea’s stoppage-time leveller against Germany in his 100th appearance for the Republic of Ireland was a fitting finale.
The Sunderland centre-back, having defended resolutely for much of the encounter in Gelsenkirchen, expertly guided the ball beyond Manuel Neuer to salvage a 1-1 draw and heap more misery on the World Cup winners.
O’Shea was not the only player to enjoy a stellar Tuesday, with Cristiano Ronaldo bagging a last-minute winner against Denmark, Lionel Messi striking twice in Hong Kong and Neymar claiming four (yes, four) goals against Japan.
Ronaldo also celebrated reaching a 100 million fans on facebook.
Brazil and Argentina met in Beijing on Saturday for an international friendly with Dunga’s men beating the World Cup finalists 2-0.
Diego Tardelli was the surprise hero for the Selecao scoring twice, his first international goals, to seal victory at the Bird’s Nest Stadium.
Lionel Messi had a rare day to forget, at 1-0 down in the first half the Barcelona star had the chance to pull his side level but saw his penalty saved by Jefferson.
Barely a month after Brazil's World Cup ended in humiliation, disappointment and a P45 for Luiz Felipe Scolari, the much-maligned coach has already returned to management.
Felipao was appointed the new head coach of Gremio - a club he left 18 years ago - on Tuesday, having only resigned from his post in charge of Brazil on July 14.
Scolari will be officially unveiled to the press on Wednesday evening - but will he receive a warm welcome after his struggles with the national team?
The hopes of a nation were left in tatters on Tuesday evening as Germany crushed Brazil to reach the World Cup final.
Luiz Felipe Scolari’s men were left stunned after Joachim Low’s side picked them apart in the first half, scoring five goals in the space of 18 minutes.
Andre Schurrle netted twice after the break to complete the demolition, and to add insult to injury, Miroslav Klose broke Ronaldo’s record to become the all-time record scorer in the World Cup.
The World Cup is hotting up with just four teams left in the competition as hosts Brazil prepare to face Germany in the first semi-final clash in Belo Horizonte.
Luiz Felipe Scolari's side head into the clash without captain Thiago Silva, who is suspended, but more importantly without starman Neymar who suffered a fractured vertebrae against Colombia.
The Barcelona forward has been Brazil's talisman in this competition scoring four goals for the hosts and will be a big miss against Joachim Low's side.
Germany legend Paul Breitner has urged Joachim Low to drop Mesut Ozil from his starting side for the semi-final against Brazil.
"If [Low] is bold, he'll say: 'I will not play with only 10 people' and drop Mesut Ozil," he told TZ.
"That would be the next step for world titles and above all a big step for the good of the team. Nine men are torturing themselves for 90 minutes and he's going for a walk.
Brazil are into the semi-finals after edging past Colombia but they face the remainder of the World Cup without Neymar. The Barcelona forward has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament with a broken vertebra following a challenge by Juan Zuniga.
Brazil wait with anticipation ahead of their WorldCup quarter-final clash with Colombia.
Luiz Felipe Scolari’s men edged past Chile via penalties in their tricky round-of-16 tie and the Brazil coach believes the host nation already has one hand on the trophy.
While Barcelona team-mates Lionel Messi and Neymar have been lighting up the World Cup for Argentina and Brazil respectively, Cristiano Ronaldo has endured a frustrating tournament with Portugal.
The Real Madrid star has made just one notable contribution, a stoppage-time assist against USA, while Neymar and Messi have both leapt to the top of the goalscoring charts with four strikes each.
However, highlighting his enduring stardom, Ronaldo could overshadow his rivals' achievements merely by his latest trip to the barbers. The 29-year-old has gone for a dramatic new Mohawk hairstyle that could prove a welcome distraction from his nation's struggles.
Brazil and Barcelona ace Neymar has lived up to his billing as the poster boy for this summer's World Cup as his double against Cameroon helped the Selecao on their way to top spot in Group A and a place in the last 16.
Luiz Felipe Scolari's men ran out 4-1 winners over the African side, with Neymar twice putting his side ahead in the first half before they romped to victory late on.
Neymar has now scored four of Brazil's seven goals at this summer's showpiece, topping the tournament's scoring charts, and if the home nation are to claim a sixth World Cup title then they are likely to do so on the back of their star player, who has carried the side into a last-16 clash with Chile.
Germany striker Miroslav Klose hit the headlines yet again on Saturday as he bagged his 15th World Cup goal and a place in the history books.
The 36-year-old came off the bench to level the scores against Ghana, in an entertaining 2-2 draw, with a goal that sees him equal Ronaldo’s record that has stood since 2006.
Next up for Germany is their final group game against USA, with Klose able to move clear at the top of the standings should he find the target again.
It's over, it's finally over. Spain, reigning world and European champions have been dumped out of the World Cup thanks to a colossal performance from Chile.
Jorge Sampaoli's side, also nicknamed La Roja, scored twice in the first half in a frantic end-to-end game of football in Rio de Janeiro.
And for Vicente del Bosque's team it was very much a case of one tournament too far for a group of players who have defined an era. There will be casualties from this exit, not least if they fail to even take home the wooden spoon in their final game against Australia.
The World Cup kicked-off in Brazil on Thursday with the hosts securing a 3-1 victory in their opening game against Croatia.
The hosts survived conceding an own goal to clinch the win with Neymar scoring twice before Oscar poked home a late third.
However, the game was not without controversy with Croatia furious at the award of Brazil’s penalty, while Niko Kovac's side were also denied a goal when Ivica Olic was adjudged to have fouled goalkeeper Julio Cesar.
Get animated by watching the heroes, villains and highlights of previous tournaments as you have never seen them before. Eight episodes on World Cup greatest nations. The videos are available in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese and Arabic.
GoalToons: Brazil
GoalToons: Italy
GoalToons: Germany
GoalToons: Argentina
GoalToons: England
GoalToons: France
GoalToons: Spain
GoalToons: Netherlands
GoalToons credits:
Animation Director: Omar Momani
Animation: Sameer Aburezeq
Animation Assitant: Bassem Nabil
Narration on Germany, England and Netherlands: Mike V. Derderian