World Cup Blog
In defence of a Poll
I try not to get caught up in the euphoria, but Australia’s 2-2 draw with Croatia left me delirious and must have been the best game of the tournament so far in terms of non-stop action, end-to-end chances and two teams paying complete disregard for the traditions of the World Cup and going at it [...]
I try not to get caught up in the euphoria, but Australia’s 2-2 draw with Croatia left me delirious and must have been the best game of the tournament so far in terms of non-stop action, end-to-end chances and two teams paying complete disregard for the traditions of the World Cup and going at it with a place in the last 16 at stake.
While the BBC tried to gain a ratings winner with Brazil in a dead (rubber) and dreadful (match), the nasty BBC Three had to be switched on - except the fact it was also live on the BBC Website, which saved me some grief.
And the treat was immense. A free-kick followed by a excellent spot by Graham Poll, who contributed so much to the game, and an equaliser via the penalty spot. Then an error via Guus Hiddink’s strange goalkeeper swap and the goals just about ended with Harry Kewell’s effort - although it was marginally offside. Then again, FIFA have said the advantage goes with the attackers.
I’m sure the newspapers will lay into Mr Poll because it is the easy route, but he was on top of the game for the most part, and got the majority of the major decisions right. Would a whistle-happy referee (see Mr Merk) have allowed the game to flow so much? The red cards added to the occasion more than anything, and what could have been a huge flaw when he failed to show a second yellow to Simunic didn’t turn out to be and he was sent off for tugging at Poll’s shirt at the end.
The Croatian’s were very keen to grab the referee, and their behaviour was vulgar at times, but Mark Viduka pretty much summed up the match and performance of the referee, hugging him after Tim Cahill’s goal had been ruled out for a foul. It is only the fifth time three red cards have been shown in a World Cup match, leading on from the sad Italy v USA match, when the latter nation were apparently heroes for holding out for so long despite a couple of awful challenges which deserved dismissals.
Put yourself in Poll’s boots - a tough game has gone pretty well for 80 minutes, then two justified red cards and Simunic shouting at you, making you forget he has been booked. It was extremely tough, and it would be a great show by FIFA if they kept him on for the second phase after the best game of the tournament so far. It was an honest mistake that required no atonement, and thankfully the brute-like Simunic finally saw red.
The BBC missed out, but those who caught the game were served a real treat.
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