Source: FOOTYMAD
Still Think This Is A Boring World Cup? - Little Boy Blue's World Cup Diary
June 27: Day Seventeen - Hey, has this been a day to remember or what? England v Germany was always going to be a game and a half but who could have believed it would have been wrapped up in so much drama and controversy? Even without all the furore over the goal that wasn't, it was a tremendous game of football, probably worthy of bigger billing later in the tournament but, sadly for England, this was the consequence of their failure to win their group. It was a hard act for Argentina and Mexico to follow but the South Americans duly delivered and not without their own wrong decision which video evidence would have put right instantly. That senile old blowhard Blatter must be feeling like a proper tosser tonight. If not, those close to him should be right in his face letting him know that football is the laughing stock of all major sports. Nobody is looking for the cameras to determine if a throw-in should be awarded to Team A or Team B but, when the ball clearly crosses the goal-line, or a guy is yards offside before netting, there is no harm in having a fifth official to take a swatch at the pictures and put the ref right via his earpiece. There was a great sense of expectancy going into the big game in Bloemfontein and I have to say I was surprised at the mood of optimism being expressed by the English. As I said in last Wednesday's diary, I felt that this game had come too soon for England, before they had the chance to build up anything resembling some momentum and that is exactly how it was. Very early in the game it looked like Fabio's boys were in line for a proper bleaching. Bears of a certain vintage, i.e. auld bassas like me, will remember Peter McCloy's monumental kick-outs and Derek Johnstone or Gordon Smith running on to score. Rangers got pelters for playing Route One football, we were told it was not the way football should be played, the more sophisticated passing game was what it was all about, 'real' fitba teams don't go for the big bombs up the park. So what about Germany's first goal? A goal kick from Manuel Neuer, two bounces, Terry and Upson looking at each other, 'thank you very much' says Miroslav Klose. It cannot be disputed that the loss of Rio Ferdinand pre-World Cup was a massive blow to England and there simply was no Plan B. Capello tried both King and Carragher beside Terry, he ended up going for Upson and, not to overstate the point, he wasn't up to the job. They were still debating the opener when Lukas Podolski got clear on the left and he defied the tight angle to score a great second goal. If it had ended there and then nobody would have had any complaints. Germany would have been through to the quarter-finals with the minimum of fuss and England would have escaped with their dignity intact. But a Matthew Upson header threw the English a lifeline and, less than a minute later, Frank Lampard beat Neuer with the most delightful of dinks. Game on? Nope, the game's a bogey!!! The ball clipped the crossbar and came down a couple of feet over the line but, incredibly, the ref waved play on. It is hard to defend match officials in such situations but, in fairness to them, the linesman was exactly where he should be, in line with the last defender to flag offside, while the ref was well outside the box and, at ground level, the bounce of the ball would not have been quite as evident to them as it was to the elevated TV cameras. However, somebody sitting on the sidelines - God knows there are enough suits loitering around doing hee-haw - should be delegated to monitor the pictures. The ref is wired for sound, a quick 'That was a goal' is all it would take for him to blow his whistle and point to the centre circle. Job done, no problem. Who knows how things would have worked out if that goal had been given? The momentum would definitely have been with England, they were on top at the start of the second half and the signs were that they were unruffled by the controversy. But chasing the game, they were always in danger of over-committing themselves and Germany put the game to bed with two classic breakaway goals from Thomas Muller. Nobody in their right mind would suggest anything other than that the better team won but the English media's mantra is sure to be 'if only'. If Argentina and Mexico were to produce a repeat of their classic from four years ago, I felt the Mexicans had to score first and, in the early stages, they looked good. A long range shot from Carlos Salsido clattered the crossbar and Andres Guardado shot wide but, just when I thought they were a good bet to go in front, Mexico were cheated by the incompetence of the match officials. Carlos Tevez timed his run to perfection to beat the offside trap but keeper Oscar Perez got out to make a block, Lionel Messi then knocked it forward to Tevez who, despite now having drifted yards offside, turned the ball into the net. Remarkably, the linesman didn't lift his flag, the ref awarded the goal but, amidst Mexican protests, the big screens at the ground clearly showed the goal should have been disallowed. It looked like Italian referee Rosetti was about to reverse his decision, only to again have a rethink, no doubt getting a word in his ear from his back-up team, and the Argies were on their way to the quarter-finals. Having been gifted the first goal, they didn't need any help from the opposition but defender Ricardo Osorio fell asleep in possession, Gonzalo Higuain robbed him, then rounded the keeper to make it 2-0 and, when Tevez rattled in the third with a stunning shot seven minutes into the second half, it was all over. Javier Hernandez's excellent goal was too little too late for Mexico but they, just like England, will be wondering what might have been if the officials had done their job properly in the 26th minute. So, whatever else today might have been, it certainly wasn't dull. We saw two first class games, both worthy of the biggest of all stages, but the reputation of football has been the big loser. The outcome of two major games was determined by some wonderful skills but each was tainted by the recognition that, at pivotal moments, match officials got the big decisions wrong. Human error will always be part and parcel of the game but, if technology can help eradicate that element, why should it not be brought into play? Two such high profile howlers can only drag football, and stubbord old buggers like Blatter, into the twenty-first century, kicking and screaming if thats what it takes. Tomorrow: Holland v Slovakia, Brazil v Chile.
