The next time a World Cup game kicks off at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, it will be high drama. Knockout football. To the victor, the spoils. No second chances.Never before has the fever surrounding the USMNT been so high as they head into that last-32 fixture against Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1.That football fever contrasts drastically with the somewhat soporific final group game held at the home of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers.Both Australia and Paraguay knew a draw would suffice to progress from Group D — Australia in second and Paraguay in third (with a 99 per cent chance of progression). The match was not a dead rubber, but if you had switched on to watch without context, you may have well thought it was.Get free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in The Athletic appIt began in stop-start fashion. Feisty challenges flew in, fouls were awarded and play disrupted, preventing both teams from establishing any kind of rhythm.Surely, after the opening 15 minutes, the game would find its flow. There were the faintest of sparks: Jordan Bos’ cross across the face of goal, Julio Enciso jetting forwards, twisting and turning. Both came to nothing.Jordan Bos takes a shot during a rare moment of activity (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)Players bundled into one another — Connor Metcalfe’s head had to be strapped with thick black tape, while Enciso crashed into the advertising boards.But in the first half, Paraguay did not register a shot and neither team created a big chance. The teams’ combined expected goals (xG) figure was a whopping 0.23, of which Paraguay’s contributed 0.05.The second half did not get much better.By the full-time whistle, the game had the lowest xG of the World Cup so far. Job done, but for the neutral, it was boring to watch. That is a price one pays for the new 48-team format.On paper, the San Francisco Bay Area was dealt a poor hand with the games they were assigned — five group-stage games and a last-32 tie. Jordan vs Algeria and Paraguay vs Australia hardly set pulses racing before the tournament. The city’s host committee reacted accordingly, scaling down proposed fan fests. Nevertheless, fans packed out the stadium.Sure, they have not rivalled the heavyweight thrillers of the group stage, but each has provided drama, jeopardy and history-making moments. The first half of Paraguay’s 1-0 win over Turkey was bookended by Matias Galarza’s strike — the quickest goal of this World Cup so far — and Miguel Almiron becoming the first player to be sent off for covering their mouth in a situation of confrontation.Ecuador shock Germany and U.S.A. suffer defeat | World Cup Daily BriefingMegan Feringa and Amitai WinehouseAlgeria’s first-half display against Jordan deserved a goal — it just never came. The World Cup debutants had their backs against the wall and celebrated their defensive heroics almost as if they had scored. There was a sense of inevitability that it was just not going to be Algeria’s night until they launched a comeback in the 69th minute and ended up winning 2-1.Switzerland peppered the goal of Qatar’s Mahmud Abunada with 24 shots — seven on target, nine off target and eight blocked — but only scored through a controversial penalty. Then, in the dying minutes, up popped Qatar’s Boualem Khoukhi at the back post with a bullet header to equalise. At the full-time whistle, Qatar players dropped to their knees. Substitutes and staff flooded the pitch. Pure elation.And Austria against Jordan escalated in the last 15 minutes. Half-time substitute Marko Arnautovic terrorised Jamal Sellami’s side, forcing Yazan Al-Arab to turn the ball into his own net to take the lead with 14 minutes to go, before winning and scoring a penalty in the 102nd minute.Marko Arnautovic provided some late drama in Santa Clara (Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)Australia’s drab 0-0 draw with Paraguay failed to supply any kind of this action.“Look, you can have opinions on how the game was played or what we both thought we needed but we at no stage felt that we were playing for a draw,” said Australia head coach Tony Popovic afterwards. “We tried to win the game in the end. A draw was enough for both nations.”The former Australia international praised his team for controlling the match, not conceding chances but producing better ones than their opponents. “We were quite dangerous sitting around the box,” he said before congratulating Paraguay. “I’m sure as we are feeling euphoria and joy as a nation, Paraguay is as well. I wish them well going forward.”Australia (and Paraguay) fans went home happy after reaching the knockouts (Stu Forster/Getty Images)It was the worst game of football Levi’s Stadium has seen during the tournament. But can you blame such a cautious approach when a point was all that was needed?For some supporters, they could not care less. “Best 0-0 ever, as far as I am concerned,” Australia fan Patrick Caisley told The Athletic.Levi’s Stadium has lacked a box-office fixture, but that changes when the USMNT face Bosnia and Herzegovina next week. Unlike Australia and Paraguay’s drab goalless draw, there will be no forgetting what unfolds.