Even for those of us not invested in the 16 teams that remained in the competition, the second round of the World Cup was a rollercoaster of emotions. Five of the eight matches went to extra time and two went all the way to the dreaded penalty shootout. France and Colombia were the only teams to win by more than a single goal.



With the tension building, the pressure clearly affected the players, with no team wanting to commit early mistakes in their matches. Indeed, of the 18 goals scored in the eight games, 15 came after half-time and seven were scored in extra time, as legs tired and muscles began to cramp. There were, nevertheless, a number of standout performers.

The best XI of the last-16. Infographic: WhoScored

Tim Howard (USA)

There were a number of hugely impressive goalkeeping performances over the past few days, but the No1 spot in this team isn't really a difficult one. Tim Howard produced a tournament-high 15 saves in a single match as USA kept Belgium at bay for 90 minutes. As the protection in front of him began to diminish as muscle fatigue set in, Belgium beat the Everton man twice. It could have been much worse for the USA but for Howard, who earned a perfect 10 rating – only the second of the tournament to date after Oscar's score in the opening match between Brazil and Croatia.



Pablo Zabaleta, Argentina

Alejandro Sabella's side made hard work of things against Switzerland but the ever-willing running of Pablo Zabaleta continued deep into extra time. The Manchester City full-back produced six tackles and made three interceptions in a typically industrious display, while also creating two chances and completing two crosses at the other end. Throw in an impressive 90% pass accuracy and it's easy to see why the defender earned a rating of 7.96.



Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Greece

The quarter-finals were a step too far for Greece, who reached the last-16 stage for the first time in their history courtesy of last-gasp dramatics in the group stages. Centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos ensured their last-16 match went right to the wire once more. The Borussia Dortmund defender completed 92% of his pass attempts, won eight of his nine aerial duels and scored an injury-time equaliser against Costa Rica.

Essaid Belkalem, Algeria



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Essaid Belkalem towers over Bastian Schweinsteiger during Algeria's match against Germany. Photograph: Lucas Uebel/AFP/Getty Images

Algeria's Essaid Belkalem also ended up on the losing side despite winning the man of the match award. The Watford centre-back made eight clearances, two of which were made on the goalline and prevented Germany from scoring. Belkalem made four interceptions and blocked five shots, showing just how well he reads the game and how willing he is to put his body on the line when it matters most.



Jan Vertonghen, Belgium

Deployed at left-back once again, Tottenham's Jan Vertonghen impressed against USA having made a shaky start to the tournament in the group stage. He consistently supported Belgium's attacks with verve, creating two chances for team-mates and having four shots of his own to offer a threat from deep. Vertonghen won five aerial duels and made a team-high 14 clearances to earn a rating of 8.74.



Mesut Özil, Germany

Taking his place on the right side of the German attack and the right side of our team here, Arsenal's Mesut Özil scored the all-important goal in Germany's win over Algeria. With two shots on target, three successful dribbles and four chances created, he proved a menace on the break and only captain Philipp Lahm made more tackles for Germany (three).



Kevin de Bruyne, Belgium

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Kevin De Bruyne scores Belgium's first goal against USA. Photograph: Alex Livesey/Fifa via Getty Images

Another player to experience the euphoria of scoring a crucial World Cup goal in extra-time, Kevin De Bruyne was hit and miss at times against USA, but his willingness to work for the team was rewarded eventually. In fact, from his advanced midfield position the former Chelsea playmaker made both the most tackles (six) and interceptions (four) for Belgium, while also mustering six shots and completing a tournament-high of 10 key passes in a single game, one of which set up Romelu Lukaku's match-winning goal.



Geoff Cameron, USA

A surprise selection in the heart of midfield for USA, Geoff Cameron did not let Jürgen Klinsmann down, bouncing back from a disappointing display against Portugal in admirable fashion. The versatile Stoke City man had the most touches (113) of any player on the pitch against Belgium, showing quick feet in midfield at times to complete four dribbles. With five tackles and eight clearances, he was well worthy of his 8.40 rating.



Angel di María, Argentina



He had a frustrating afternoon until he scored the winner deep into extra-time against Switzerland but Di María was unquestionably influential. Despite some poor decision-making on the day, the Real Madrid winger was continuously entrusted with possession by his team-mates, having more touches than any other player on the pitch (125). His bid to take the glory eventually paid off having mustered a massive 12 shots, nine successful dribbles and three key passes.



Arjen Robben, Holland

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Arjen Robben celebrates making our team. Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Making the headlines for both the right and wrong reasons following his display against Mexico, there is no doubt that Arjen Robben continued to be the key man for Holland as they progressed to a quarter-final with Costa Rica. The Bayern Munich forward completed 100% of his pass attempts, including four key passes. He won the decisive penalty to see the Dutch through and made seven successful dribbles and four accurate crosses.



Lionel Messi, Argentina



Lionel Messi was not at his imperious best against Switzerland, but he laid on the crucial assist for Angel di María's 118th minute winner. That was one of a match-high of eight chances created on the day, having also completed seven successful dribbles. His willingness to put a shift in for the team was highlighted by the fact that no player on the pitch made more tackles (six).

All statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com, where you can find yet more stats, including live in-game data and unique player and team ratings