None but the diehard Italian optimist would have hoped for Italy to join the elite club into the next stage of the World Cup knock out. And for the sarcastic pessimist of all the hype blown out of proportion surrounding the football gala, there must have been some reason to think twice in his next line of attacks on the millions of maniacs.
Beckam did the trick yesterday to justify the Indian 'International' movie's name; and what a slice it was indeed with the artistic touch of a master craftsman, sliding right past the goal post, squeezing through the gloves of the desperate goal keeper! The one free kick made all the difference yesterday. And today, it was a twist of fate from the Aussie stand point! And it was indeed ironical that the Yellow shirts, who went into this game as underdogs were actually quite aggressive and dominated over the favourites for most part of the game. Frustration was written all over the face of the Italian coach who had nothing to do but to gesture wildly in the air, wondering if he really deserved to be in his seat at all with such a meak show by the Italians. A ball possession ratio of 61 - 39 against the Blue men did not quite tell the whole story. The Italians looked dead on the field; they stood as if they were just out of a deep depression, struggling to find their true selves, doubting every cell of theirs before making a move. Most of the game was played in the Italian half. Well, the Aussies surely deserved a win today!
Just as the Italians struggled to avert conceding a goal and getting the game extended into the extra time came the horriffying act that stabbed, killed and burried their opponent for the next four long years. For a team that thoroughly dominated the opponents, conceding a penalty in the last 10 seconds of the game would be a nightmare that would haunt the Aussies for the rest of their lives. "Cruel" was the word the commentator used to describe the situation - and there couldnt have been a better adjective! The Aussies were aggressive, confident, dominant, valiant - and the most unfortunate!
3 comments:
I know I know!!! You should have heard the feedback on breakfast tv the next morning in Australia! That's why you can never trust a referee. All those years, waiting to get into the World Cup, and then finally when we get into it....it literally hurts the national soul...and i don't even like soccer that much!
I can see how it would have been for an Australian National to watch the side go down that way. Well, do you think it's time Referees are given Red Cards too?
:-)
I'm an Italian fan to state upfront...
Watching one of the replays from the camera angle situated BEHIND where the referee was standing (meaning you are seeing what transpired from the same angle of the ref), this is what I noticed.
1. Lucas Neill's came in for a sliding tackle in front of Grosso and the ball - and he missed totally
2. Grosso's right foot kicked the ball to the right and a split second later, the same foot made contact with Neill's shoulder on the ground.
3. Now Grosso may have looked like he was going to fall. If he had fell, it would have a been a clear cut stumble, or maybe a dive, intent being the deciding factor.
4. However, the reason the referee handed out the penalty, was because when Lucas Neill was on the ground, he moved his left hand outwards away from his body and downwards, making contact with Grosso's left foot.
5. That my friend, is a clear obstruction and in the box, is without a shadow of a doubt according to FIFA's strict rules, grounds for a penalty.
I thought Australia played well and they didn't deserve to lose like that. However, a better team would have capitalised on Italy's one-man deficit and would at least a goal, if not two up by the end of 90 minutes.
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