R16: Netherlands - Mexico (June 29, 2014 - 18:00 CET)

[Nalx]

Watching this game I think Kuyt just created a new position in football: defensive striker. At first he seemed to play the left wing-back in Van Gaal's five-man defense. Then De Jong got injured, Blind took over his position, Martins Indi took the left centre-back, and Kuyt moved to the right with the same defensive task. After Mexico scored and Dos Santos was withdrawn thus giving all the initiatives to the Netherlands (which at 61st minute in my opinion was too soon to do so), he was often the closest player to Huntelaar instead of Robben, playing in the sort of second striker. That only lasted for about fifteen minutes or so because after Sneijder's goal he returned to his position at the back and Robben did all the attack.

Speaking of Robben, it's amazing to see him capable of doing that sprinting and cutting even in the injury time after playing the whole game under the intense heat that reached 38 degrees Celsius in the first half.

[nefremo]

Robben is one of the best conditioned players our there. I agree, it's simply amazing. He did it for Bayern this whole year......sprinting and pressuring the ball at the 85th minute (after Bayern had won the game anyway) like it's the 5th minute. He's really turned it around as he was almost the complete opposite in the beginning of his career and just a few years ago too. Whenever the ball is at his feet, he seems fresh to take on players...looks faster then them as if he's only been playing for 5mins and not 80.

I can't understand the whole missed PK call and all of this complaining that some of the Mexico personnel is doing. There was contact as Marquez stepped on Robben's toes. Could Robben carry on? Absolutely. But he fell down (dove) and got the penalty. They can blame Robben for diving all they want but he won his team the game by baiting contact (albeit minimal) from Marquez. It's a part of the game. Players constantly look for contact in basketball to get to the free-throw line. I know it's a completely different sport and has a different meaning, but the concept is the same. If you can get your opponent to make contact in the penalty-box, then you get a PK.

Never mind the fact that Robben didn't get a PK at the end of the first half. There was TWO fouls in the box. First Marques struck Robben's foot to get him off balance and basically enabled him to get a touch on the ball (which Robben was going to get had it not been for Marquez hitting the side of his foot in the tackle).....and then immediately after another Mexican player came and completely took Robben's legs out. He hit Robben so hard that he himself had to be substituted from the impact. In all of this, he never got a touch on the ball...just the man. The ball may not have been in Robben's control, but it was half a meter away and Robben had every right to go for it and probably then get control of it. This is a foul anywhere else on the field....so why not there? Because it will result in a PK?

In the end, things have this very weird way of evening themselves out. That's what happened in this game I believe. So the Mexican players and their coach should really stop this nonsense. I may be biased because I'm a Dutch fan, but what I said makes sense . To me at least.

[ZvonimirBoban]

1998 result was unfair? Ortega was a stupid diver and headbutting was always considered as an ejectable act of violence, though one can always argue that van der sarr was tricky too. But then they had Simeone themselves so it all evens out. :d Batistuta might be the only one from that Argentina side that I liked.

They kicked England out with dirty play by Simeone on Beckham, so I ROTFLed when Ortega got sent off, Holland deserved to win that game and more importantly, Argentina also deserved that result.

[Mystik]

Actually Robben admitted and apologised for diving throughout the game but has said that the winning penalty was not a dive. I'll take this to mean that the penalty call that was "missed" was actually a dive by Robben..seeing as he said so himself.

[xudong]

Actually Robben admitted and apologised for diving throughout the game but has said that the winning penalty was not a dive. I'll take this to mean that the penalty call that was "missed" was actually a dive by Robben..seeing as he said so himself.

I read a report too in which it claims that Robben himself admitted diving at the end of the first half but he was indeed fouled for the winning penalty. (so it is the same as what you just said)

Then I read another report that Marques came out and claimed that Robben dived to get the winning penalty, but he admitted that he did foul for the first one.

Whose words should we take? I will take nefremo's. I also saw two consecutive fouls in the first one. As for the second one, Robben did seem to take advantage of the contact, but I can understand why the referee pointed to the penalty spot too. :d

[nefremo]

Haha thanks Xu.

I read a report where he said he dived, but I didn't see a reference to te one at the end of the first half. I thought he was talking about the one in the second half.....it happened midway in the second half and he dove without any contact in the box. I thought he was referring to that incident and not the one at the end of the first half.

[xudong]

actually, the report here (in Chinese) says clearly that Robben himself admitted that the one near the end of the first half was a dive. but you know those journalists... :d it is also quite strange that this report is all over the place (in different languages), but Robben didn't come out and put it out (if it was false). maybe he is just focusing on the tournament now.

by the way, anyone realizes that Mexico has just achieved a record that they probably didn't want? They were the first team to have been eliminated from Round of 16 in six consecutive WCs. Tough luck for them. it was so close this year.

[ZvonimirBoban]

actually, the report here (in Chinese) says clearly that Robben himself admitted that the one near the end of the first half was a dive. but you know those journalists... :d it is also quite strange that this report is all over the place (in different languages), but Robben didn't come out and put it out (if it was false). maybe he is just focusing on the tournament now.

by the way, anyone realizes that Mexico has just achieved a record that they probably didn't want? They were the first team to have been eliminated from Round of 16 in six consecutive WCs. Tough luck for them. it was so close this year.

Not six, five. They did not qualify for 1990 World Cup.

IIRC, every team that defeated Mexico on round of 16 World Cups at that period, lose their quarterfinal match, barring Bulgaria on 1994.

Germany on 1998
USA on 2002
Argentina on 2006

[xudong]

actually, the report here (in Chinese) says clearly that Robben himself admitted that the one near the end of the first half was a dive. but you know those journalists... :d it is also quite strange that this report is all over the place (in different languages), but Robben didn't come out and put it out (if it was false). maybe he is just focusing on the tournament now.

by the way, anyone realizes that Mexico has just achieved a record that they probably didn't want? They were the first team to have been eliminated from Round of 16 in six consecutive WCs. Tough luck for them. it was so close this year.

Not six, five. They did not qualify for 1990 World Cup.

IIRC, every team that defeated Mexico on round of 16 World Cups at that period, lose their quarterfinal match, barring Bulgaria on 1994.

Germany on 1998
USA on 2002
Argentina on 2006

1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014

That's six.

[ZvonimirBoban]

Oh. Sorry, I made a mistake. I confused their 2006 WC with their 2010 one. Very similar. Mexico lost to Argentina in round of 16, then Argentina lost to Germany in QF.

Germany on 1998
USA on 2002
Argentina on 2006
Argentina on 2010

Yes, that's six. My bad.