A string of knockout upsets and increasingly uncomfortable victories for the favourites suggests the gap between football's traditional powers and emerging nations has never been smaller.

Paraguay pulled off the shock of the tournament so far, and Brazil and Morocco booked their places in the Round of 16 after knockout round wins on Monday.

The Round of 32 at this year's World Cup finished with some surprises and was full of suspense until the last minute: while Morocco rushed past the Netherlands in a penalty…