The World Cup is reaching a very satisfying ending. It has been brilliant, thrilling, absorbing and hugely entertaining. The level of play has been outstanding and far superior to the patchy quality of the men’s World Cup in Quatar seven months ago or, indeed, many of the recent men’s competitions. And the drama has been over the top. The Australia-France penalty shoot-out? You could not make it up. Columbia putting the wind up England with a rugged and arrogant first half display? Spain finding form at last against the Dutch.

Our last live game was the quarterfinal between Japan and Sweden at Eden Park. A closely-contested game where Sweden blunted the Japanese press with a skillfully executed game plan. Japan missed a penalty at a crucial point and left it too late to pressure the Swedish defense.

We hung out at the stadium for a long time afterwards watching the devastated Japanese players, many prostrate on the field, some being consoled by one or two Swedish players.

Then, amazingly, they huddled and turned as a group bowing respectfully to their opponents, the fans, and to the field. They are a class act and we must wait another year before seeing them again in the Olympics in Paris. Even watching their pre-game warmup drills was a football treat: meticulous touches, rapid and exact passes, intricate patterns, powerful shooting. There is a purity of purpose in Japan’s playing that makes them a joy to watch. The players are always looking for the best choice in passing, patterns, pacing, movement, and speed. They were endlessly creative and dynamic.

Along with Japan, we saw Spain and Sweden live twice which means we have now seen one of the eventual finalists during our New Zealand travels. I started this piece before any of the quarterfinal games were played and was getting ready to predict a France-Japan final. So much for my predictions. Both Spain and Sweden have grown into better versions of themselves during the competition. Sweden has shown great flexibility in its playing formations and each player possesses a complete range of technical skills. Spain learned the hard lessons of that elegant demolition by Japan and came back renewed against Switzerland and Holland.

The Sweden-Spain semifinal on Tuesday is a delightful prospect. It will be the last game at Eden Park and sadly it kicks off just as we board a plane to return to San Francisco. On the Australian side, the home team earned their semifinal spot the hard way. They have major momentum but England will be ready after getting a stern test from Columbia. And my new prediction for the final? Australia versus Spain with Australia to win it, urged on by fanatical home support. It would be a fitting finale to a compelling competition. Whatever happens, we will have a new world champion. This is the last post from on the ground in New Zealand. We’ll have more to say and more considered social and cultural perspectives to offer later.