IMO there were a lot of surprises/miscalculations during this world cup
For one: I think Iceland caught everyone by surprise with their amazing defense same can be said for Mexcio with their superhuman goalie
All in all I think people overestimated Messi; not that he's not the best soccer player on Earth but that thinking him alone would win Argentina a slot in the finals or the entire World Cup was just pure foolishness (to dismiss all other teams like that) considering soccer is a team sport!
Another surprise that was fairly interesting to watch was Senegal and how nobody expected them to be a contender yet they are as good as any other nation (surprisingly)
There were also some things you'd expect as always: Russia destroying Saudi 5-0 as if Putin stopped doping his athletes. That's a good joke. Not to mention FIFA is the most corrupt sports organization on Earth. haha