DAMN IT AUSTRALIA SHOULD HAVE WON
I've never been a big fan of soccer. Didn't even care about it when the World Cup began, despite living just about 400 m from the big screen live site set up just for the competition. Night after night I'd hear cheering, and after an Aussie game lots of cars honking at decked up fans in the morning to celebrate the win. But I couldn't be stuffed. And honestly I just thought the Aussie's wins were because they were just lucky, the other side was not in form etc etc yadda yadda.
Then last night, forced to stay awake to let my hair dry before going to bed (I don't use hair dryers), I watched the Aus vs Italy game, and I was seriously impressed. I thought that the Aussies had been defending for their life in the previous 2 games and bits of luck just seeped through at the end where the other time lacked stamina so the Aussies managed to sneak in a goal, or two...or three. I don't know why. I just assumed. I mean...teams with virtually no experience (the last being 32 years ago I believe) never really get into their element at such a high level of the sport. So I figured the game in Italy might be like that. Just defence, defence and some opportunities here and there might get Australia through. But really...I just expected them to lose, although I did have enough faith that it wouldn't be a very bad loss. Like 2-1 or 1-0 or 3-2.
But they were GOOD. Okay...so I'm not a soccer expert. Ask me golf and I'll tell you all you want to know...but soccer? But you could see that Australia was attacking. You could feel the tide of confidence flowing towards their side. You could see how they constantly had possession of the ball. And really the only flaw that pissed me off was how they seemed to dally a bit too much near the goalposts. Hell I don't know if that's the right thing to do...maybe it's better to take a little more time to place yourself in a better position before taking the shot so that you increase the likelihood the ball goes in. Maybe the goalie was there at an angle that I, the inexperienced observer, would not understand was a barrier to any attempted shots. But from my point of view...I felt they should have hurried it up a bit, just taken the shots...caught the goalie off guard. 'cos it seemed like by the time they played with the ball, the Italians had surrounded the player in possession and really WHAT could you do with all these people around you? And to me that happened so many times you'd think they would have upped the pace a little realising that they weren't capitalising on the opportunities they had. ESPECIALLY since they had one more man!!! Geesh!!!! And I guess that's where the Italians did show the prowess they are pretty famous for, still creating numerous chances for themselves (and hell they didn't dally at the goal).
As the game neared closing, I thought oh well...if they end up in a penalty shoot out they'll have done pretty darn well if you ask me. BUT WHO WOULD HAVE predicted the end?? OH GOSH. IT was sooooo disappointing. Who would have thought that a lousy call by the referee would be made at the 92nd min. Who would have thought that yes, the game ended with a penalty shot, but not in a shoot out. It was a damn foul penalty shot!!! WHAT THE. And on the replay of the foul it seriously didn't look like a foul to me at all. It was Neill stretching for the ball, he didn't even TOUCH the Italian player...and then the Italian falling, after a while by the way, not the immediate fall one would expect if one had been run into. It was more like...ahh haaa..you missed me, then oops I have no space left to run now looks like i have to trip. WT! And it was quite funny 'cos this morning the news was showing a secretly filmed video of the Italians taking a lesson on how to fall and feign pain. The coach even used on player for demonstration, so he held his hand out to push the player away and he was showing the player how to feign falling and pain while the rest were in a circle around the coach and all falling at the same time and rolling in pain. Personally, I think ALL soccer teams learn how to do that (not that I would know, but it's like...if I'm going to fall I might as well get something out of it. A free kick here...a penalty shot there...). But to see it in real life was so damn funny. But on watching the replay of the final fall on the news it became more and more obvious the fallen guy was feigning his pain. His trip wasn't even a big trip. In fact he fell pretty safely if you ask me (I've taken gymnastics I know he fell safely). And then his team mate comes and bends over him and shouts at the Aussies, looking up to shout then down again at his teammate ostensibly to see how he's going with the OWWWWW intense pain...Looks damn hilarious. You guys should go look at the replays. You'll see what I mean.
Okay...that was a pointless rant. But I guess my point is...I started the night not caring who won (although for the sake of continuing the festive mood in the city I wanted Aus to win), but I ended the night in admiration of hte Socceroos and disgusted with the Italians. Is this how they built up their reputation? Is this how the won their matches before? This is not what I would have expected from a team of a calibre waaaaay higher than the socceroos, and I'm sorry for them, and highly embarrassed for them. But a few days later no one is going to remember anyway. They'll just remember who won, not how...unless they use the same dirty tricks in the finals.
Then last night, forced to stay awake to let my hair dry before going to bed (I don't use hair dryers), I watched the Aus vs Italy game, and I was seriously impressed. I thought that the Aussies had been defending for their life in the previous 2 games and bits of luck just seeped through at the end where the other time lacked stamina so the Aussies managed to sneak in a goal, or two...or three. I don't know why. I just assumed. I mean...teams with virtually no experience (the last being 32 years ago I believe) never really get into their element at such a high level of the sport. So I figured the game in Italy might be like that. Just defence, defence and some opportunities here and there might get Australia through. But really...I just expected them to lose, although I did have enough faith that it wouldn't be a very bad loss. Like 2-1 or 1-0 or 3-2.
But they were GOOD. Okay...so I'm not a soccer expert. Ask me golf and I'll tell you all you want to know...but soccer? But you could see that Australia was attacking. You could feel the tide of confidence flowing towards their side. You could see how they constantly had possession of the ball. And really the only flaw that pissed me off was how they seemed to dally a bit too much near the goalposts. Hell I don't know if that's the right thing to do...maybe it's better to take a little more time to place yourself in a better position before taking the shot so that you increase the likelihood the ball goes in. Maybe the goalie was there at an angle that I, the inexperienced observer, would not understand was a barrier to any attempted shots. But from my point of view...I felt they should have hurried it up a bit, just taken the shots...caught the goalie off guard. 'cos it seemed like by the time they played with the ball, the Italians had surrounded the player in possession and really WHAT could you do with all these people around you? And to me that happened so many times you'd think they would have upped the pace a little realising that they weren't capitalising on the opportunities they had. ESPECIALLY since they had one more man!!! Geesh!!!! And I guess that's where the Italians did show the prowess they are pretty famous for, still creating numerous chances for themselves (and hell they didn't dally at the goal).
As the game neared closing, I thought oh well...if they end up in a penalty shoot out they'll have done pretty darn well if you ask me. BUT WHO WOULD HAVE predicted the end?? OH GOSH. IT was sooooo disappointing. Who would have thought that a lousy call by the referee would be made at the 92nd min. Who would have thought that yes, the game ended with a penalty shot, but not in a shoot out. It was a damn foul penalty shot!!! WHAT THE. And on the replay of the foul it seriously didn't look like a foul to me at all. It was Neill stretching for the ball, he didn't even TOUCH the Italian player...and then the Italian falling, after a while by the way, not the immediate fall one would expect if one had been run into. It was more like...ahh haaa..you missed me, then oops I have no space left to run now looks like i have to trip. WT! And it was quite funny 'cos this morning the news was showing a secretly filmed video of the Italians taking a lesson on how to fall and feign pain. The coach even used on player for demonstration, so he held his hand out to push the player away and he was showing the player how to feign falling and pain while the rest were in a circle around the coach and all falling at the same time and rolling in pain. Personally, I think ALL soccer teams learn how to do that (not that I would know, but it's like...if I'm going to fall I might as well get something out of it. A free kick here...a penalty shot there...). But to see it in real life was so damn funny. But on watching the replay of the final fall on the news it became more and more obvious the fallen guy was feigning his pain. His trip wasn't even a big trip. In fact he fell pretty safely if you ask me (I've taken gymnastics I know he fell safely). And then his team mate comes and bends over him and shouts at the Aussies, looking up to shout then down again at his teammate ostensibly to see how he's going with the OWWWWW intense pain...Looks damn hilarious. You guys should go look at the replays. You'll see what I mean.
Okay...that was a pointless rant. But I guess my point is...I started the night not caring who won (although for the sake of continuing the festive mood in the city I wanted Aus to win), but I ended the night in admiration of hte Socceroos and disgusted with the Italians. Is this how they built up their reputation? Is this how the won their matches before? This is not what I would have expected from a team of a calibre waaaaay higher than the socceroos, and I'm sorry for them, and highly embarrassed for them. But a few days later no one is going to remember anyway. They'll just remember who won, not how...unless they use the same dirty tricks in the finals.
posted by A.Yu at 9:09 AM
2 Comments:
I reckon the referee realised he wasn't going to get home alive with the mafia hitmen trained on him after making the team down to 10 man with that red card he gave.
So he was like 'I'd better make them happy by giving them a shot at goal, because I so want to be alive.'
Haha I don't usually comment even though I've been reading around, but this time I will...
As an avid watcher of football since 1991, I can safely assure you the art (and I mean it, it's been honed into an art) of playing dirty has become a trademark of some footballing nations: The Italians, the Argentines, and the Brazilians (in that order) rank the top of the pack.
Still, I was heavily disgusted with the way Fabio Grosso walked over Lucas Neill and earned a penalty that way.
Diving to earn a foul or a penalty has become endemic in football for the last, perhaps, 5 years or so. Referees now can dole out yellow cards to errant players who try to simulate a visit to the swimming pool, but they may still be fooled from time and time, and this confuses the real genuine fouls from the playacting.
The standard of refereeing during this World Cup has been really bad - 16 yellow cards in one match, one yellow card in another. I won't say that the referee was fooled by the Italian or that he decided to be harsh there on the Socceroos (that's what the Aussies are dubbed), but there has been too many dubious calls in the World Cup so far.
Anyway, glad to see you watching at least a match. The Italy-Aussie match was a good showcase of football to a non-football-fan: The Italians being dangerous on the break and showing off excellent technical skill despite being one man down for more than half an hour, and the Aussies showing off industriousness, extreme fitness and plenty of midfield nous (their lack of clinical finishing in front of goal being their ultimate stumbling block).
Incidentally, the Aussies were coached by Guus Hiddink, this Dutch maestro-of-a-coach who coached South Korea to the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2002; he had also masterminded a victory over the Italians during that tournament. I thought his Midas touch was going to kick in again against the Italians again, but looks like the Italians pulled off the Italian Job this time.
Cheers
Eisen
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