Colombia

Colombia are out, and losing on penalties is about as painful as it gets.

They had looked like one of the best dark horses of the whole tournament, and they leave with great pride.

They topped Group K with 7 points and never lost a game, beating Uzbekistan 3-1, beating DR Congo 1-0, and drawing 0-0 with Portugal.

That form was not a fluke, because they finished above both Brazil and Uruguay in South American qualifying.

In the round of 32 they were just as convincing, beating a brave Ghana team 1-0 in a game they controlled all the way.

Then came the round of 16 against Switzerland, a tough, well-organized side that is hard to get past.

It was a tight, tense game, and after 90 minutes and extra time it was still 0-0.

So it came down to a penalty shootout, where the smallest mistake ends everything.

Switzerland won the shootout 4-3, and just like that Colombia's run was over.

There was so much quality in this team, led by Luis Diaz (Bayern Munich), the winger who can decide a game on his own.

And captain James Rodriguez, Colombia's all-time top World Cup scorer, was still the man who made their best chances.

The mood is heartbreak, because Colombia did almost everything right, and it still took a penalty shootout to send them home.