World Cup 2014 Standings: Updated Tables Following Matchday 14 Results
No stoppage-time excitement, no problem.
Most of Wednesday's results were pretty straightforward, but a slew of transcendent individual performances helped continue what has been a thrilling World Cup.
Let's take a look at how all the action unfolded.
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Matchday 14 Results
| F | Argentina | 3-2 | Nigeria |
| F | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 3-1 | Iran |
| E | Switzerland | 3-0 | Honduras |
| E | France | 0-0 | Ecuador |
World Cup Standings
| Brazil | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 7 |
| Mexico | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Croatia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Cameroon | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -8 | 0 |
| Netherlands | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9 |
| Chile | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Spain | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 3 |
| Australia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -6 | 0 |
| Colombia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9 |
| Greece | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 4 |
| Ivory Coast | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -1 | 3 |
| Japan | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -4 | 1 |
| Costa Rica | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Uruguay | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Italy | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -1 | 3 |
| England | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -2 | 1 |
| France | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 7 |
| Switzerland | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Ecuador | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Honduras | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -7 | 0 |
| Argentina | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| Nigeria | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Bosnia-Herzegovina | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Iran | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -3 | 1 |
| Germany | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| United States | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Ghana | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 1 |
| Portugal | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -4 | 1 |
| Belgium | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Algeria | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Russia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 1 |
| Korea Republic | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 1 |
The story of the day, predictably, was Lionel Messi.
Criticized in the past for his performance at the World Cup, the 27-year-old superstar ran his 2014 tally to four goals in three games, scoring at opposite ends of the first half. In the second minute, he rocketed in a rebound into the top of the net, and, in the 45th minute, he curled in a sumptuous free kick:
"Messi is one of heck of a player," said Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi, via BBC.com. "He's blessed. You can't take it away from him. There are good caliber players in the team but Messi is from Jupiter."
Yep, that about sums it up.
Still, on the other side of the pitch stood the Lex Luther to Messi's Superman. The Joker to Messi's Batman. The Rita Repulsa to Messi's Power Ranger: Ahmed Musa.
The 21-year-old winger answered Messi's first strike with a goal one minute later, and his second with a goal two minutes into the second half.
Marcos Rojo's 50th-minute goal would go unequalized, though, and Argentina were able to finish the group with nine points. But, with Iran falling to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nigeria were still able to advance.
Over in Group E, Xherdan Shaqiri stole the show for Switzerland.
The 22-year-old No. 10 netted a hat trick, helping the Swiss to a 3-0 win over Honduras. His first of the trio was one of the best of the tournament:
Of course, as Fox Sports' Kyle McCarthy noted, 21-year-old Josip Drmic, who had two assists and four key passes, deserves just as much credit:
In the final fixture, Antonio Valencia was shown red after an atrocious studs-up tackle and Ecuador stumbled to a nondescript scoreless draw against group-winners France, helping Switzerland grab the second spot.
The night's two biggest stars, Messi and Shaqiri, will now meet in the Round of 16. Argentina will be favored, but the Albiceleste better be careful. Despite what the Swiss did against France last week, they have a disciplined defense and one of the brightest young attacking duos in the world in Shaqiri and Drmic.
Group play is coming to a close, which is sad, but the excitement is only increasing in Brazil.
