Sportsmanship deserves respect

Weep no more, Chinese football fans. Your national team, which broke your heart for failing to make it to South Africa, is actually not much lousier than many that did.

France, the 1998 world champion, crashed out of the 2010 games after losing two matches and drawing one against what were widely seen to be its weaker opponents. England failed to win against even weaker teams from countries where football has remained an alien sport.

Star-studded Spain lost to underdog Switzerland in a stunning upset. Even the Germans, always dependable and unflappable on the global arena, lost their cool in the match that they ceded to Slovakia.