If you are (or were) an England fan and don't feel like watching Germany's unstoppable advance to take the ultimate trophy, why not use the freed-up time to look at the maths behind the beautiful game:

• If you can't bend it, model it! — the aerodynamics of footballs
• Blast it like Beckham — what tactics should a soccer player use when taking a penalty kick?
• On the ball — if your team scores first in a football match, how likely is it to win?
• Football crazy — how to predict football scores
• Power trip — how long do football managers last?