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A tale of three nations
From Robson Sharuko in JOHANNESBURG, South Africa
AMID all the drama, the heartbreak, the tears and the disappointment — as two major terrible refereeing decisions hogged the limelight at the 2010 World Cup show here on Sunday and vibrated across the entire globe — it was hard not to believe that lightning can, indeed, strike twice.
In one corner, pregnant with tears, were England and Mexico feeling robbed after two monumental blunders by the match officials had a huge bearing in the outcome of their second round matches.
In the other corner were Germany and Argentina, celebrating their tickets into the quarter-finals of this World Cup, after getting the benefit of doubt from the match officials — at two key moments in their matches — which helped turn the games around.
Well, history will record that Frank Lampard scored an absolute beauty, which should have been England’s equaliser in their game against Germany at the Free State Stadium in Bloem-fontein, and could have changed the course of the game.
However, Uruguay referee Jorge Larrionda ruled that the ball, which clipped the underside of the crossbar and clearly bounced way behind the goalline, had not gone in and England were left to cry foul.
They never recovered from that and eventually collapsed to a 1-4 defeat – their worst beating at either the World Cup or the Euro Championships.
About three hours after the drama in Bloemfontein, Italian referee Roberto Rosetti was found wanting, in a decisive moment, when he failed to pick out what just about everyone could see — that Carlos Tevez had strayed miles offside when he made the vital connection, with his head, for his team’s opener.
It broke the hearts of the Mexicans, who had competed bravely up to that stage, and they never recovered with Argentina eventually winning the game 3-1.
So why the fuss about lightning striking twice?
Well, as fate would have it, the four nations that featured in Sunday’s drama were also part of the puzzle when similar events unfolded during the 1986 World Cup.
England were again the victims when Diego Maradona’s Hand of God — which was not picked up by the referees — gave Argentina the lead and they eventually stormed to a 2-1 win in their quarter-final game at that 1986 World Cup.
Fast forward to 2010 and England are once again the victims who are crying foul after a terrible mistake by the referees — in disallowing their perfect goal for the equaliser — shattered their spirits at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein and they eventually slumped to a 1-4 defeat. When Argentina eliminated England at the 1986 World Cup, the team they met in the final was Germany and the South Americans triumphed 3-2 to win their second World Cup title in eight years after having triumphed on home soil, thanks to the goal-scoring exploits of Mario Kempes in 1978.
Germany’s elimination of England on Sunday from the 2010 World Cup has given them a ticket for another date with Maradona and his Argentina side — the only difference this time being that Diego will not be running his team’s midfield but will be barking orders from the bench. So, just like Mexico 1986, there had to be controversy at a World Cup where the fixture planner draws up a programme that sends Germany, England and Argentina into collision.
Twenty four years ago Maradona and his men were beneficiaries of a big mistake by the referees, on their way to World Cup success, and on Sunday they also reaped huge rewards, from another big error by the referees, when Carlos Tevez was allowed to break the deadlock — in a tight game — from an off-side position.
It should be a striking coincidence that Mexico, the host country of the 1986 World Cup when Maradona performed his Hand of God trick, should also be the country that bears the brunt of a cruel refereeing mistake — in a big game where Argentina also gets all the favours — 24 years later.
"In the first minutes the Mexican team was stronger, but before and after the goal, the error meant that the match changed dramatically, we lost concentration and didn’t get organised. Any team which is 2-0 down has nothing to hold on to," said Mexican coach Javier Aguirre.
"After the referee gave the goal, which was off-side, we lost our concentration, fell 2-0 behind and that was too much to catch up, we finished the game strongly and we finished the match proud.
"They scored their third goal and it is difficult when things are not going in your favour.
"Referees have to make split-second decisions and they can spoil everything, it happens."
Sunday’s events also had another interesting angle. Twenty years ago, at the 1990 World Cup in Italy, Germany and England met in the semi-final with the winner — then just like now — booking a date with Argentina.
And then, just like now, it was the Germans who emerged triumphant.
While there wasn’t any controversy to that game in Italy — one of the greatest World Cup matches of all-time, which was locked 1-1 after extra-time and had to be decided by penalties — there was one little story that had a similarity to the events that unfolded in Bloemfontein on Sunday.
The 1990 World Cup semi-final between Germany and England was goalless, at the hour mark, when the Germans were awarded a free-kick by a referee, just like was the case on Sunday, from South America — Brazilian Jose Roberto Wright — and Andreas Brehme’s shot deflected off English defender Paul Parker and went home.
The game in Bloemfontein on Sunday was also goalless when another England defender, Matthew Upson, was caught out and Miroslav Klose poked the ball home.
In that 1990 classic Parker, probably feeling that he had let his team down with the deflection, ventured forward and made the cross — with 10 minutes remaining — and Gary Lineker fired home the equaliser to force the game into extra-time. On Sunday, Upson — probably feeling that he had let his team down when he was caught out, also ventured forward and was at the end of a cross — by Steven Gerrard — which he headed home to give England hope against the Germans. Then, just like now, England were the losers.
"Football is a game of 11 versus 11 and Germany always wins," said Lineker in a famous quote after that defeat by the Germans at Italia ’90. |
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