Vitória dura mas justa. Arbitragem muito, muito ruim, que ajudou às tricas violentas - o "ataque" sobre Cristiano Ronaldo foi maldosa digna de cartão vermelho, expulsão de Deco absolutamente ridícula. Até o frio Figo ia perdendo a cabeça, fruto da provocação holandesa e do nível de nervosismo instalado no jogo; esperemos que a FIFA não o sancione tendo em conta, como demonstrado pelo seu presidente, a má actuação do árbitro. Chegaram a parecer uns meros putos de escola (receava o pior, como no último Mundial quando João Pinto deu um murro ao árbitro), tendo os putos holandeses (média de idade bem inferior) pago bem caro a sua má ousadia. Tantos golos falhados, tal como no jogo do México são sempre assim, não estão destinados a entrar, mas o sufoco é enorme. A actuação de Figo, Deco e Maniche (mais um golão) foram novamente primordiais, numa equipa toda ela muito bem, apenas manchada pela mão de Costinha, num acto instintivo inexplicável e inadmissível para um dos líderes da equipa Scolari no campo.
Mas, com inteligência e união, Portugal passou (muito) bem aos quartos-de-final. As vitórias sofridas são as mais saborosas, e esta foi, como desejado, com sabor a laranja.
20 cartões mostrados (16 amarelos, 4 vermelhos). Bateu-se o record!
ReplyDeleteMas deviam ter sido 21. Um a mais para o árbitro.
Isto deixou os jogadores nervosos.
Os holandeses irritaram-se e Portugal respondeu.
Mas parecia uma batalha campal!
No fim ganhámos e siga para a frente!
Pena não podermos contar com Deco frente à Inglaterra e espero que Cristiano recupere a tempo. Costinha bem pode ficar no banco.
Com este jogo posso concluir:
Portugal ainda tem muitos anjinhos lá em cima a apoiar-nos.
FIFA is to blame for last night's circus
ReplyDeleteDespite what Blatter says it's not the referee's fault. The current rules are a cheat's charter.
Sean Ingle
June 26, 2006 11:15 AM
Portugal v Holland should have been one for the ages. Instead it degenerated into a cynical fandango of cheating, skulduggery and rampant play-acting. Veterans from the Battle of Santiago probably shed a nostalgic tear at the 16 yellow and four red cards; the rest of us should be weeping too, but for different reasons.
At this rate, the World Cup final - one of the great events in any sport - will be played between two reserve teams. That can't be right.
Immediately after Portugal's victory, Blatter played the blame game, saying: "I consider that the referee was not at the same level as the participants, the players. There could have been a yellow card for the referee."
He should be looking closer to home. Last night's farce was largely of his making.
Yes, the referee made some mistakes - missing Luis Figo's head-butt, for one. But generally he applied Fifa's pre-tournament directives on foul play, unsporting conduct and timewasting to the letter. He was only obeying orders. Blatter's orders.
The players also carry some responsibility. But footballers are a cynical, conniving, cheating breed; they always have been, they always will be. It's up to the lawmakers to stop them transgressing. But the current rules favour the tumblers and free-fallers over honest tacklers.
The problem, in essence, is this. FIFA has encouraged referees to brandish yellow cards whenever possible at this World Cup but - in the same breath - refuses either to have a post-match court of appeal where poor decisions can be overturned or retrospective punishments handed out, or to embrace technology.
The result is a cheat's charter. Perhaps more than any time in the last decade players are deliberately diving, or feigning injury, in the hope of getting someone booked. It's working too. Meanwhile others are missing games, often after wrongly-awarded yellow cards.
That can't be right.
The answer, as I've argued previously, is technology. Sceptics claim it would slow down the game, but when it comes to foul play, it would be as much about the threat as the execution: why dive for a penalty when someone in the stands could alert the referee, who would soon be waving yellow in your direction? Why pretend to be elbowed, when in 30 seconds' time you would get a red card for play-acting?
Blatter, though, refuses to help referees because he believes the game must retain the "human element". He has sown the seed, he should reap the whirlwind.