Pope Pompous XVIII
I mean yes, the Aussies never looked like breaking down the Italian wall. For all their possessions, and their numerical advantage over Italy, they had absolutely nothing in it. The Italians were in their element. They simply built a wall in front of the goal and repelled everything the Aussies threw at them. Throughout the match, the Italians looked composed and organised. It was clear that their game plan was to soak up all the pressure and try to win on the sly - through the occasional breaks, or if they get near enough, to dive for freekicks and-or penalties.
10 mins before the end, I told my brother whom I was watching the match with, that the Italians would win the match and it was either going to be done by a fast break, a freekick or a penalty. The Aussies had fallen into the Italian trap and were lured into thinking that they had the upper hand, so it was hardly surprising it ended the way it did.
Memo to Referee WhinersIn any sport. Many decisions can sometimes be argued the opposite way. The ref should let them play vs. The ref should put the game under control, what a hack vs what...
Still that does not make the referee's decision to give the penalty any less rediculous. The standards of refereeing in these games have been absolutely disgraceful to put it mildly. For all the money FIFA pumped into making this WC the carnival of the year, they'd have done so much better spending the cash on recruiting decent referees.
