World Cup Warm-Up: Football returns after a barren 24 hours, plus South Korea's 'Baptism of Eggs'

There was plenty of affected horror yesterday at the sudden lack of World Cup football - no VAR, no panning shots of UFO-like Russian stadia, no Ally McCoist - but, for the more fatigued among us, this was a perfect time to take a breath and take stock.

The group stages are very much the solid rocket boosters to the Space Shuttle that is the World Cup: massive, heavy, occasionally flammable, but suddenly discarded once they have served their purpose, memorable only when they’ve exploded to claim some high-profile victims.

Despite Germany going home - and Nigeria, Peru and Senegal burning twice and bright for half as long - it is, at worst, a solid-looking last 16. There isn’t a dud tie among them - even Sweden vs Switzerland has a charming Euro 2004-ish look about it - and things kick off today with a pair of potential stimulants after that well-timed rest day in the sunshine.

The foursome of Uruguay, Portugal, France and Argentina guarantees a compelling top quarter of the draw, whatever the combination in the next round. Elsewhere, Brazil vs Mexico is dripping with colour and possibilities, Belgium vs Japan is one of those novel match-ups only a World Cup can arrange, Spain won’t be entirely sure which Russia are going to turn up, Croatia will hope Davor Suker will be fit to face Peter Schmeichel’s Denmark...and then there’s Colombia vs England.

Something for everybody, then. I’m recharged and ready to go, anyway.

You may have seen the video, captured during Argentina’s salvage operation against Nigeria, in which an apparently emasculated Jorge Sampaoli apparently pleads to Lionel Messi for some advice, apparently over whether to bring on Sergio Aguero.

Ahead of Argentina’s last-16 clash with France in Sochi today, Sampaoli was inevitably probed about that moment, and how much of a microcosm it was of his tournament so far.

“We'll play with a knife between our teeth,” he continued, which was precisely the sort of tactical detail everyone was hoping to hear. “This group of players takes enormous pride in representing their country, playing for the shirt. That makes us dangerous for any opponent.

“After the game, the analysis will follow the result. They'll say I'm an excellent manager if we win, if we lose they'll say I'm very bad.”

Despite Chelsea’s “Schrödinger’s manager” situation, Roman Abramovich has been watching the World Cup. And when disgustingly rich owners of football clubs watch World Cups, el transfers do flow.

Russia’s surprisingly smooth progress to the last 16 has put the likes of Aleksandr Golovin in the shop window and - despite him looking like he would be the sort of lightweight lock-picker Arsenal might have signed at any point from 2006-2014 - it’s Chelsea who are now at the front of the queue for the 22-year-old.

£27m is the actually-quite-sane amount of cash it will reportedly require to prise Golovin away from CSKA Moscow, where he was brought to the club by former Russia coach, and close friend of Abramovich, Leonid Slutsky. The alarm bells for Golovin should be two-fold: 1) Chelsea don’t have a manager confirmed for next season and 2) Slutsky now manages...Vitesse Arnhem.

They might be heroes in Mexico, but the South Korea squad - back home via their third group-stage exit in their last four tournaments - got a slightly frosty reception on their return to Incheon International Airport...

“Baptism of Eggs!” screeches the title of that video, when it was in fact just one egg - plus, puzzlingly, six Union Jack bolster pillows - that was thrown at the players as they stood looking sorry in front of the cameras.

In the words of Sol Campbell, “it’s all over, it is now.”

New England may have engineered themselves a relatively presentable route to glory, starting in Moscow against Colombia on Tuesday, but the broadcasting omens say the odds are against them.

England have won just six of their 19 major-tournament matches shown on ITV - a success rate of less than 32% - which compares to 12 wins from 21 on the BBC (57%). The Lineker effect? Adverts distracting the nation’s positive vibes? Mark Pougatch looking a bit like Jeremy Kyle? We’ll see.

On this day in 1978, Brazil’s Nelinho pops up on the right flank against Italy. Chance to get in a cross? Not on your Neli...

Messi’s boom-bust roadshow rocks up in Kazan to take on France, which might be where the pure football will be found, because the evening event in Sochi is Uruguay vs Portugal, and that one will be decided on points if a knockout isn’t delivered in 12 rounds.