Rate it!

0 votes

Find out who produced the best performances in the round of 16 with Ghana leading the way after they crushed American dreams and delivered African joy on Saturday.

We combine the expert rating assigned on the matchcast and the user rating at 0800 GMT the following day to formulate the team and you can see the line-up in the picture.

Goals by thrusting midfielder Kevin Prince Boateng after just five minutes and then from striker Asamoah Gyan three minutes into added time carried Ghana to victory over USA in a tumultuous match and both men are in the elite XI.

Gyan, who has scored three of Ghana's four goals at the finals, is partnered in attack by Uruguay's Luis Suarez.

The 23-year-old Ajax striker curled home a superb 80th-minute winner to break South Korea's hearts in Port Elizabeth after seeing his opener cancelled out by Lee Chung-yong.

Boateng is the anchor in an attacking midfield that also features the Dutch duo of Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder plus Germany's Thomas Mueller.

Robben needed only 18 minutes against Slovakia to underline that his qualities gives the Dutch team exactly what they missed during the World Cup group phase.

An excellent long pass from Sneijder sent Robben away on the right flank, where the left-footed player cut in and went past two Slovak defenders to put the Dutch ahead with a well-placed shot inside the near post.

It spurred the Dutch to a 2-1 win that earned them a spot in Friday's quarter-final in Port Elizabeth, their first since 1998 when they finished fourth.

Germany, superior in speed, tactics and skill, tore apart pedestrian rivals England 4-1 and Mueller scored two to put the game to bed in the second half, both the result of lightning counter-attacks as the Three Lions pressed to equalise.

Germany coach Joachim Loew revealed after the match that his young side had followed a strategy to exploit England's lack of pace, luring experienced central defender John Terry forward to handle Miroslav Klose and creating wide spaces for Mueller.

Two more of Ghana's heroes are in the defence, right-back John Pantsil and central defender John Mensah. They are in front of goalkeeper team-mate Richard Kingson.

Kingson saved a low shot from Robbie Findley with his left leg and saved Benny Feilhaber's close-range shot with one-hand to edge out Portugal's Eduardo for the place between the sticks.

Five of the quarter-finalists have at least one player in the team.

Brazil are represented by Juan after the central defender rose at the back post to plant an unstoppable header high into Claudio Bravo's goal as Dunga's side produced their best performance of the World Cup so far to crush Chile 3-0.

And there is one player from a defeated team, Mexico's marauding left-back Carlos Salcido.

So no place for any Argentina or Spanish players with Carlos Tevez and David Villa being edged out for the attacking spots.

Goalkeeper

GK: Richard Kingson (Ghana) - 8.35

Defenders

RB: John Pantsil (Ghana) - 7.35

CB: John Mensah (Ghana) - 7.25

CB: Juan (Brazil) - 7.5

LB: Carlos Salcido (Mexico) - 7

Midfielders

RM: Thomas Muller (Germany) - 8.4

CM: Kevin-Prince Boateng (Ghana) - 8.1

CM: Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands) - 7.4

LM: Arjen Robben (Netherlands) - 7.9

Forwards

FW: Asamoah Gyan (Ghana) - 8.25

FW: Luis Suarez (Uruguay) - 8.1

Manager

Joachim Loew (Germany)

If you don't like the selection then remember 50 per cent of the marks are determined by you, the reader, via the user rating on the matchcast.

Eurosport