As we're unlikely to see terraces again at football, this is the virtual equivalent where you can chat to your hearts content about all football matters and, obviously, Arsenal in particular. This forum encourages all Gooners to visit and contribute so please keep it respectful, clean and topical.
For fuck's sake another cheap shitty goal from a set piece for Brazil. 3 Colombian defenders closed their eyes and poked their neck out rather than attacking the ball and they all missed it. Absolutely unforgivable for a corner to be bouncing 3 yards out from goal.
The standard of refereeing has really let this tournament down a bit imo. Diving is a bigger problem than ever which is difficult for the ref, and officials used to reffing domestic games in front of 1 man and his dog are always going to be tempted to favour the bigger teams.
But what really gets me is the complete refusal of some refs to use the yellow card. In nearly all circumstances a deliberate foul with no intention to win the ball is a yellow, certainly if you've already been beaten in the middle of the pitch. Yet I've seen tens of examples like there where Fernandinho got skinned by the one-two in the centre-circle so just stepped across and body checked the receiver. And the ref had no intention of carding him. Fuck me Darren Fletcher would have been in his element out there.
This is probably the one department England can hold their heads up in To his credit not many (if any) other refs would have had the bottle to turn down the huge penalty shout and correctly disallow the Hulk goal. And if referees understood how the yellow/red card system works England might have gone through to the Second Round as Godin should undoubtedly have gone in the first half.
You'd have to go back to Italy in 82 to find the last time so many players (brazilian) went through the back of the opponents without picking up yellow cards.