So much for abstinence leading to better performance.
Four teams had been reported to have banned their players from having sex during the World Cup, and all four teams have now been eliminated: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Chile, Mexico and Russia.
Two of those frustrated teams reached the Round of 16 before suffering heartbreaking defeats. Chile lost in penalty kicks to Brazil when its final attempt rang off the crossbar, and Mexico was on the verge of an upset before falling to the Netherlands.
Seven of the nine countries on the record as allowing their players to have sex are also gone: Australia, England, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay and the United States. Only Germany and the Netherlands have survived that groping — sorry, grouping.