Originally posted by sasquatch672Agreed. Every World Cup there's this big push to get tough on various fouls that, for the other 3.5 years, wouldn't earn a card. Half the referees go psycho as a result.
During the game? Come on Del - you've gone daft!
FIFA sends an inspector, always a respected former international referee, to every international match. It's his job to assess the performance of the refereeing team. Each member of the crew is graded from 0 - 100. I've lost points on assessments because I didn't have a tan, because I ran too har ...[text shortened]... go right to the pocket - and you get what we had yesterday with Portugal - Holland.
It's truly sad that this particular game has ended in controversy because, as I said early on, it was actually a really great game to watch - at least until the sending off which didn't impress me as a great decision.
Everyone's now focused on whether there was a dive at the very end, but for 92 minutes before that no question of diving ever arose. Contrast that to Australia v Japan where the Japanese seemed intent on falling at every tap, and a few other games as well.
The referee was letting things flow fairly well, the foul count was quite even, and at that stage I would have been content even if we lost. Now it's all gone a bit sour. I still doubt that we played well enough to win, but I would rather not have lost in THIS fashion.
Originally posted by orfeoAgreed. Could not have said it better.
Agreed. Every World Cup there's this big push to get tough on various fouls that, for the other 3.5 years, wouldn't earn a card. Half the referees go psycho as a result.
It's truly sad that this particular game has ended in controversy because, as I said early on, it was actually a really great game to watch - at least until the sending off which didn't i ...[text shortened]... doubt that we played well enough to win, but I would rather not have lost in THIS fashion.
We should have been good enough offensively to score though. Most of the Cup Mark Viduka was the lone striker with three defenders around him and received little support. We need someone who can give better delivery from corners and set pieces.
Our defence was excellent too. Second last Italian raid , about 89 minutes,and they were in the penalty area and three Aussies were around the Italian player and handling him with no fouls, eventually dispossessing him. Great work.
Gonna miss Guus the Great!
:'(
Well, it doesn't have to be 90 minute support to the Big team, through the ref, just crucial plays and, of course, a certain balance must exist... plus, some fouls are too obvious to let go.
Anyway, a conspiracy theory is impossible to demonstrate.
Either you can interpret those decisions as pressure from crowd and/or being the ref in a match where one of the teams is a big one, or you can come up with a conspiracy theory. Obviously the 2nd is hard to prove, but the first one is a well known fact... happens to players, coaches and ref's. I seriously think the ref, if not intentionally biased, then cracked to the pressure of the 'blue jersey'.
P.S. By the way, the U.S. didn't play to the level I expected from them (forget about the freakin' fifa ranking, just the good playing they had before the WC) but certainly they got stabbed in the back. I agree that with that playing they would end up eliminated by a more efficient team, but that's not the point.
Originally posted by dfm65I couldn't have scripted a better way to see the Aussies crash and burn.
sweet and fitting that Italia won from a bad ref decision? yes, perhaps...
All of SA cheered as Totti smashed the ball into the net after a pathetic decision by the referee.
I don't think Materazzi should've been sent off either though and that changed the whole game.
Italy should've been up in the first half.
Two poor decisions.
Italy capitalised on theirs.
Bye bye Australia.
SA awaits your arrival in 2010.
As for your insipid comment, Italy is due some luck.
South Korea 2002?
Remember that?
italy had chances in the first half ... and suffered from luck.
then italy played a tough tackle ... italy was punished very harshly ... 10 men
australia controlled the ball midfield but the italians controlled in the goal mouth ... australia should have won now ... (if kewell was fit it almost certainly would have been different here) ... but italy was very very good ...
1 man down and italy somehow created an attack and our man should(ethically) have stood on his feet and played skills ... he played with his bum on the ground ... some referees would give it .. some not ...
italy won.
i say well done italy 🙂
and if we had won i would have been just a little happier 😀
this series of games may have waken a sleeping demon ... australia plays very well in many sports .. now we might regularly take on the big one : soccer/ football.