Nine of Africa's 10 teams reached the knockout stage of the men's World Cup , giving African sides a better progression rate than those from Europe and South America.

So what lessons can African football take from this historic tournament?

No. 1: Africa belongs among football's elite. Morocco reached the quarterfinals for the second time in history, eliminating the Netherlands and pushing France all the way.

Egypt nearly shocked Argentina. DR Congo led England. And Cape Verde became one of the tournament's biggest success stories. The gap between Africa and the world’s best is virtually nonexistent.

The biggest reason Africa missed out on the semifinals was not a lack of talent: It was what some experts call match management, or the “late goals curse” as some commentators put it.