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For the second time in the last four editions, the continent of South American didn't have a single representative in the semi-finals of a World Cup. However, given the performance of the continent since the start of Russia 2018, it shouldn't really come as a surprise.
Neither of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia and Peru truly impressed. Their best moments came only in bits and parts. And despite boasting some of the best attacking talents in the world, their collective goal return of 31 was the lowest since 2006.
Yet, there were a few names that stood out amid the collective disappointment to shine for their respective teams. Here's a best XI of the South American players based on the performances in the FIFA 2018 World Cup:
Goalkeeper: Fernando Muslera (Uruguay)
Muslera was the only goalkeeper to maintain a clean sheet in each of the three group games. He surely was aided by the obdurate the backline in front of him, but did command his area with authority and stood as a terrific last line of defence.
His 11 saves in the competition is among the top 10 while the save rate of 78.6% ranks 4th among his counterparts with at least 4 appearances.
Muslera conceded only thrice towards the end, the first two of which came through set-pieces and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it as the Uruguayan defence switched off on both occasions.
But he undid all of his hard work with that howler against France when his tame effort to thwart Griezmann's fearsome shot ended up in his own net and inadvertently doubled Uruguay's deficit.
CB: Diego Godin (Uruguay)
Uruguay were virtually unbreakable from open play, so it isn't surprising to see they conceded just once from that situation, moreover which was merely an individual error. At the heart of this solid defence was skipper Godin, whose indomitable presence made life difficult for the strikers. The Atletico Madrid centre-back averaged 4.4 clearances and 2 tackles per game.
He frustrated the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo with his defensive nous, blocking shots and muscling away the ball with his imposing figure. He was also dominant in the air, winning at least 2 aerial duels per game and also maintained an incredible pass accuracy of 85%.
CB: Yerry Mina (Colombia)
Despite having some remarkably talented attackers in the ranks, Colombia found an unlikely source of goals from their centre-back Yerry Mina, who remains the most prolific defender of the competition with three goals, all headers and all coming through set-pieces.
He first scored the opener against Poland, then netted the winner against Senegal, before giving the Cafeteros another chance for success by heading home in the dying embers against England and force an extra-time.
With James Rodriguez missing a chunk of time through niggling injuries, Mina took over the scoring mantle and made sure his presence wasn't really felt at the other end. He may have bats in his belfry as his shenanigans in the last 16 game would suggest, but defensively he was solid too.
He registered an incredible 21 clearances in 3 appearances, and further accentuated his aerial prowess by attempting 18 defensive aerial duels, both of which were highest by a Colombian.
CB: Jose Gimenez (Uruguay)
The mortar to Godin's brick in the impenetrable Uruguayan fortress, Gimenez starred alongside his skipper at the heart of the backline and got Celeste off the mark with a late winner against Egypt in the opening game.
His terrific reading of the game saw him average 3.3 interceptions per game whilst also breaking up opposition play with his crisp tackles. He also averaged over 5 clearances in the 4 appearances he made.
His partnership with Godin was one of the highlights of Uruguay's campaign and despite the injury that ruled him out from the final group game against Russia, returned to the fold strongly for the knockouts to put on a dominant display.
DM: Casemiro (Brazil)
Before we even delve into the statistics, let's cast our mind back to Brazil's 2-1 defeat to Belgium in the quarter-finals. One of the primary reasons of the defeat was because the Seleccao were run over in the midfield. In a first-half where they were vastly inferior, the midfield looked so haphazard and lacked the bite going forward. They were also hopelessly exposed on the break.
All of this in the absence of Casemiro, who was suspended from the clash due to accumulation of cards. His importance to the side cannot more overstated when you consider how listless Brazil looked without him in the midfield. The Real Madrid star brought immense balance to the side whenever he played.
Casemiro drove his side forward by dribbling his way upfield whilst also trying to break opposition play by averaging over 4 tackles per game - the highest by a Brazilian, while his 3 clearances per 90 minutes is bettered only by Miranda in the team.
RM: Willian (Brazil)
The Chelsea star may not have attracted as much eyeballs as many of his glamorous teammates, but he quietly went about his business and had a fairly good World Cup campaign. When the Brazil attack looked increasingly one dimensional; stemming threats primarily from the left, Willian provided the spark from the right.
His 11 dribbles were second only to Neymar and also laid 5 key passes. He may have never got on the scoresheet, but did assist Neymar in the 2-0 win over Mexico, Willian's best game of the campaign that also saw him make 2 successful tackles and an interception.
CM: Juan Quintero (Colombia)
Prior to the tournament, Quintero had starred for Los Cafeteros in only bits and parts, but truly came of age in Russia, especially during the group stages. He directly contributed to three of the five goals, netting a cheeky under-the-wall freekick against Japan before bagging an assist each in the Poland and Senegal victories.
He was the battering ram that drove Colombia forward, getting into pockets of space to lay off for the forward whilst also leaving his markers in knots with eye-catching dribbles. He currently plies his trade in the Argentinian league for River Plate, but after an impressive World Cup campaign, it won't be long before some European clubs line up at his doorstep.
CM: Rodrigo Bentacur (Uruguay)
A fringe player at Juventus, Bentacur demonstrated his talent with Uruguay and how devastating he can be if given the time and opportunity. Operating behind the front two, the 21-year old worked in sync with Suarez and Cavani, whilst also expertly picking out the latter on the edge of the area for his second against Portugal.
A shining beacon of energy and electricity, Bentacur caught eye with his buccaneering runs and the kind of composure that belies his age. He impressed as a central midfielder in a flat 4-4-2 and then impressed again as a no.10 in a 4-4-2 diamond when Tabarez experimented with his line-up in the group stages.
He was brilliant on the break and gave a performance for the ages in the last 16 clash when he ran the rings around the Portuguese midfield.
He was the pivot around which the men from Salto burgeoned.
LM: Philippe Coutinho (Brazil)
Though all the pre-tournament prattles emphasized on Neymar and his fitness, Coutinho stole the limelight once Brazil got their campaign underway with a golazo against Switzerland in the opener. There was no looking back for him thereafter as he added another strike to his name whilst also laying 2 assists to emerge the Seleccao's real talisman.
He linked up brilliantly with Neymar on the left whilst also cutting in field to instigate attacks through the centre. He was the creative force for this flickering Brazil side and even in the shock defeat to Belgium, was their brightest player with 6 attempts at goal, 2 key passes and also 2 tackles.
Forward: Edinson Cavani (Uruguay)
Cavani took his time to get going, bagging his first goal in the World Cup in the final group game against Russia. But he burst to life in the last 16 game to Portugal, bagging a brace in Uruguay's 2-1 triumph. And even when he didn't score, Cavani was an immaculate presence in the attack, holding up the ball well and also linking superbly with Suarez.
No Uruguayan attempted more shots than his 16. His terrific ball control also saw him break into 7 dribbles, completing all 7 of them to boast a 100% success. He went off injured towards the end of the last 16 game, and his absence was sorely felt in the 2-0 loss to France as the Celeste looked toothless in the attack without him.
Forward: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Messi's World Cup can be deemed an outright failure if goals are the sole barometer to judge him as he could strike just once in 4 games. But his contributions run deeper than just that.
In the must win game to Nigeria, he expertly controlled a lob from Banega before firing into the far post to set Argentina on their way. He once again drew a blank against France in the last 16, but he kept the fight in his team alive right until the end, assisting twice on the night.
He made 12 deliveries inside the area, the most by an Argentine and the threat he stemmed can be accentuated when considered that he was fouled 15 times, behind only Neymar, Isco and Hazard. Messi's 10 key passes were also the highest in the team.
Unfortunately, he wasn't helped enough by his teammates and his last real crack at World Cup glory ended in a disappointment.
