World Cup 2018 Scores: Reviewing Most Impressive Teams Entering Knockout Stage

The 2018 FIFA World Cup group stage is over, and the business end of the showcase event gets under way on Saturday when the knockout rounds begin.

We've seen 48 matches played in the finals, giving us an impression of who could challenge for the title as well as the teams who have overreached in their bid to make the last 16.

Defending champions Germany fell out of the running at the first hurdle, but in their place lies a raft of major teams still chasing glory, with Brazil, France, Spain and Belgium all coming out on top of their groups.

Here's how the round-of-16 bracket looks after the group phase came to a close on Thursday:

Here, we profile some of the more impressive teams to have featured in Russia thus far, comprising the major names who are merely meeting expectations and smaller-stature sides punching above their weight.

Sweden

After beating Italy and the Netherlands in UEFA qualification to take their spot in the World Cup, Sweden don't look ready to stop for anyone in Russia and were most impressive in their final group game.

A 3-0 trouncing of Mexico has boosted their confidence, and after the Swedes topped Group F to set up a last-16 meeting with Switzerland, blogger Sam Freedman commented on how close they are to ending a long World Cup drought:

Manager Janne Andersson has Sweden running in a more cohesive manner than they did with Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the main attraction, and despite Germany's early exit, it says a lot that Die Mannschaft were the only side to score against them in the group stage.

Andreas Granqvist already has two goals from the penalty spot in Russia, while a clear and recognised plan of approach has made up for their lack in technicality compared to some peers.

Brazil

They were one of the major front-runners coming to Russia, and after an opening-match wobble against Switzerland, we're seeing precisely why Brazil are still being considered one of the teams to back for glory.

One factor the Selecao are relying on to get them there, however, is the form of Neymar, who has a somewhat underwhelming record of one goal in three games in the finals, despite trying his best to improve that number, per Sky Bet:

Nevertheless, Brazil looked mature in their 2-0 wins over Costa Rica and Serbia, leading commentator Ali Mohamed Ali to back them for a run to the final on July 15:

Despite relying on two injury-time goals to beat Costa Rica, the result proved the Selecao have some nerve when the going gets tough, which is one of the mental downsides that have held Brazil back in past tournaments.

Philippe Coutinho is in star form, while Thiago Silva and Joao Miranda have looked steady at the back. Mexico will find it difficult to live with a Selecao side that is high on confidence.

Portugal

Few expected Portugal to go all the way at Euro 2016, and although their run to silverware then was considerably simpler than it's likely to be in Russia, they have a great opportunity to win two major titles in two years.

The overwhelming positive for Fernando Santos' men is that Cristiano Ronaldo is one of those talismanic powers who has shown up for his team, unlike others, as noted by Fox Soccer:

But that strength is also their greatest weakness, as Portugal have already shown signs of overreliance on the Real Madrid star, via OptaJoao:

Uruguay will be no pushovers, though, and they are yet to concede at this World Cup following their three group outings. However, they haven't faced a team of Portugal's magnitude or a player on a par with Ronaldo.

If Portugal can beat Uruguay to a quarter-final place, they will face either France or Argentina, each of whom have been in shaky form in Russia and look there to be beaten by the right team.