OK, just what is up with Serbia and handballs? Somebody owes Stojkovic a steak dinner at the very least.
I’m listening to the Chris Moyles coverage of the match.
No vuvuzelas, and loads of piss-taking of the Germans. This is how the World Cup should be covered.
Apparently, the auntie of the German #6 invented Tippex. You live and learn.
If the ref awards cards like that for any game involving England or Italy/Argentina, either the English, or whoever plays the Italians/Argentina, would have no players left at the end of the match. I even want Serbia to win this but feel the Germans have been jobbed.
New ESPN slogan: One Ref changes everything.
The ref awarded 4 yellow cards to the Serbians and five to the Germans. He also awarded a penalty kick to the Germans. Seems pretty even-handed. All in all, the Germans have no one to blame but themselves, or Klose more particularly, who committed two clear but completely unnecessary fouls when he knew the ref was strict. At this level, that’s just stupid and unprofessional.
Ha! Serbia!
Are you wearing your “Oranje” glasses, or still pissed about 1974? That referee was an absolute joke. I would like to hear you say the same thing if Van Persie or Robben get booked for those fouls. The only yellow card during the entire game should have been given to Jovanovic for his attempting to enter the stands during his goal celebration.
I was talking about the Netherlands v Holland game :smack: when everyone knows it was the Dutch playing the Danes.
I wish I didn’t have to say this: told you so. Everything I was afraid of happened and worse. You might not believe it, but after Klose’s first yellow, we all shouted at the tv for Löw to get rid of him because Klose is never willing to adapt to a petty referee.
Well, allright, now we’ll face a small final against Ghana. And somewhat I’m glad that they have their poor game out of their system. I just wished Löw had done the obvious adaptations prior to the game to counter Antic’s most likely gameplan – but he always needs a kick to do that.
We’ll be back. 
In all fairness, the referee stayed within the rules – but if his decisions were standard, most teams during this Cup would have ended the game with 9 men on the field … at best.
Exactly. Jogi Löw just said in the post game interview that the game was very fair and there were no dirty or dangerous fouls, so really no reason to warn the players.
you say joke, I say strict - but either way, the ref was equally strict on both teams - and he did end up giving penalty and a yellow card to Vidic for a blatant hand ball, both of which (ie the card and the penalty) where the only possible consequence. If Robben or Van Persie got a yellow card for a second unnecessary foul far, far away from the goal, in the 37th minute, when they could have known that the ref was strict (or a joke, for that matter), I’d blame them, not the ref.
ETA: I am still pissed about 1974, that won’t go away 
The referee in this game Poturgal - Netherlands WC 2006 started booking people for every little foul also, and it was also a travesty. I thought you as a Dutchman would at least remember that.
True enough. But let’s face it: we rarely showed the game we should have played and the team obviously wasn’t prepared for Antic’s gameplan, which wasn’t exactly hard to figure out in advance. A bad performance of our team and a fervent one of Serbia.
At least you got some partial revenge in '88.
The referee was strict but fair, the laws of the game essentially leave it up to the referee to determine what is and isn’t a foul. The referee in this game set his stall out from the start and remained consistent throughout, if the players are so slow to catch on that they think “well he gave yellow cards the last 6 times someone did that but i’m sure he’ll let me off!” then they deserve what they get.
I agree. Then again it was a good wake up call, showing the young players that it’s not always going to be as easy as it was against Australia. They’re going to be much better prepared than they were today. Another plus point: Löw won’t need any excuses to not start Klose.
Of course Badstuber might need a confidence transplant after the way Krasnic took him apart today.
Exactly. And I have no idea why we didn’t exploit the yellow cards of the Serbian full-backs with our wingers.
I’m not saying that the whistles weren’t fouls. I just don’t think the players should have booked every time. Bookings should be used to warn players that they have stepped over the bounds and committed a dangerous or dirty foul. It’s football not lawn chess. Football is a contact sport.
Totally agree. Imo, we now face the consequences of the many injuries prior to the Cup and some strange decisions who stays home. But the team is far too strong to not make it and now they know, what a World Cup is all about.
3 Euros – you know why! 