Unlike what usually happens in football, no upsets were recorded as the quarter-finals of the Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup ended last night.

Try as they did, underdogs Belgium and Costa Rica narrowly lost to Argentina and Netherland respectively.

While Argentina beat Belgium at the Estadio Mane Garrincha, Brasilia, in the first game of the evening with a seventh minute half volley by Man of the Match Gonzalo Higuain, Netherlands were battled to a scoreless draw by Costa Rica at the Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador even after 30 minutes of extra time. The Dutch eventually triumphed 4-3 in the ensuing penalty shootouts.

The goal margin in the games followed the pattern of the first two quarter-final matches played on Friday, in which Germany out-struggled France and Brazil did the same against Colombia.

Germany and Brazil will now square off in one of the semi-finals on Tuesday while Argentina and Netherlands clash in the other. The competition, which started with 32 teams on June 12, ends on July 13.

•Photo, courtesy of FIFA, shows the Netherlands celebrating their victory over Costa Rica after the shootout that settled last night’s World Cup quarter-final match at the Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, Brazil.