8. Angola-Portugal 0:1 (0:1)

Group D
Match 8
June 11, 2006
Cologne

Referee: Jorge Larrionda (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Walter Rial (URU)
Assistant Referee 2: Pablo Fandino (URU)
Fourth Official: Kevin Stott (USA)
Fifth Official: Chris Strickland (USA)

Official match report html/pdf

Both teams seemed bent on committing fouls in order to destroy any flow in this game. The two teams combined to commit 49 fouls in 90 minutes, about one foul every two minutes. Larrionda was on top of things, calling everything that needed to be called, which came to an incredible 20 fouls committed by Portuguese players and 29 by Angolans. We thought he generally did an excellent job with foul recognition in each situation. Our only suggestion -- and this might have reduced the fouling significantly -- would have been to make more use of cautions for persistently infringing the Laws of the Game (Law 12), rather than only cautioning players for individual reckless, dangerous, or tactical challenges (all of which come instead under the designation “guilty of unsporting behavior”, also Law 12).

A caution for persistent infringement is for quantity for rather than quality -- either for multiple fouls committed by an individual player against one or more opponents or to multiple players who appear to the referee to be conspiring to foul a specific opponent. Figo was fouled 9 times, Simao 6 times and Ronaldo 5, and yet only one Angolan player received a card for persistent infringement (52' Angola's Andre for his second foul against Figo in about 10 seconds). Angolan player Delgado (#21) was called for committing 7 fouls, repeatedly fouling Portugal's attackers up the right, in particular Ronaldo (#17) and yet escaped without a caution. Portugal's Petit (4 fouls) and Simao (5 fouls) went similarly unpunished.

OF NOTE

17': An excellent decision to ignore Figo's appeal for handling, since he appeared to have deliberately kicked the ball into Angolan defender Kali's hand from close range. In addition, Kali's arm was near his side, and he neither moved his hand toward the ball nor had time to move it any further away.

26': Caution to POR 17 Ronaldo for unsporting behavior; understandably frustrated by this point, Ronaldo nonetheless deserved the caution for coming in with his cleats out.

28': ANG Jamba cautioned for unsporting behavior; Jamba made no attempt to play the ball as POR 17 Ronaldo moved past him, taking him down instead.

31': As we saw it, Delgado (ANG 21) fouled Portugal's Ronaldo (POR 17), not touching the ball, but knocking him down to the ground with his hip, and then kicking his legs. Not hard to understand why Ronaldo was frustrated by the dangerous play call. In fairness to Lorriando and the nearest assistant, the position of the players may have obstructed the view of both referees.
48': Angola's Loco (20) cautioned for unsporting behavior; Loco challenged Figo with his cleats out and deliberately stepped on his foot as Figo moved past. An excellent foul call by the assistant and also Lorriando's decision, on advice of the assistant, to caution Loco. We found it humorous that one of the ESPN commentators, even when faced with the definitive replay, remarked “I'm really not sure what he did wrong.”

50': Foul committed against Angolan goalkeeper Joao Ricardo. This was an excellent call (Angola was not merely “lucky” to get the call, as the ESPN commentators noted). The ball was high in the air at about the edge of the goal area, and Ricardo was placed perfectly underneath to catch it, but was backed into by a Portuguese attacker, causing the ball to tip off his arm and fall to the ground. Sometimes in this game, a slight push can create a vastly unfair advantage (such as a ball at the feet of a teammate 6 yards from an open goal) even though it may appear quite incidental. On the flip side, compare the incident at 15' where Portugal's striker Pauleta kicked the same Joao Ricardo hard in the side, requiring treatment of the keeper by medics. Pauleta was turning to play the ball and did not see Ricardo coming out to grab it. Sure it looked terrible, but no foul was called -- also the appropriate decision.

70': We would love to know why Lorriando chose not to caution Portugal's Petit for unsporting behavior. The word from FIFA is that diving is not to be tolerated in Germany 2006. However, not one card has been shown for it in the first eight games. The replay showed that there was no contact with the defender whatsoever. In fact, the defender cleared the ball and then pulled his leg in as Petit approached, in order to make that very clear. Lorriando was very close to the action and indicated with his hand gestures that he was sure there was no foul. It is not only a dive if the referee is fooled by it (such as Eboue's infamous dive, which fooled the assistant in the 2006 Champion's League final): As the Laws state: “Any simulating action anywhere on the field which is intended to deceive the referee must be sanctioned as unsporting behavior.” In popular parlance that means, “card players for diving”.

- Orion & Zazu