Articles, Soccer

Ref, You Suck

Two days into the 2014 World Cup, and we’ve already been treated to some outstanding two-goal performances — most noticeably from Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie in a 5–1 thrashing of the defending champion Spaniards. (Not to take anything away from the star player on the host team, but Neymar’s pair on opening day came on a mediocre grasscutter from distance and an awful penalty call.) But no matter how many acrobatic headers RVP knocked in, or how many impressive runs Robben put together, the most impressive brace came from Mexican youngster Giovani dos Santos — and neither goal was allowed.

Giovanni dos Santos (circled) was called offside twice to negate two goals in the first half against Cameroon. Image cribbed from ESPN.
Giovanni dos Santos (circled) was called offside twice to negate two goals in the first half against Cameroon. The Cameroonian defender is clearly back when the ball is struck; the linesman is visible at the bottom of the screen, in perfect position to… miss the call? Image cribbed from ESPN.

Missing one call in the World Cup Final is massive. Missing two is inexcusable. That they were on the same player who some argued shouldn’t have made Mexico’s starting 11 is just icing on the horribly officiated cake.

It doesn’t matter that the rain was positively monsoon-like. The linesman was in perfect position both times, he just made the wrong calls. Luckily, Oribe Peralta slotted dos Santos’s rebound into the back of the net in minute 61, giving Mexico its first-ever World Cup victory over an African nation. It marked as well just the second time since 1950 that Mexico won a World Cup match on South American soil.

You can't be offside on a corner, or when a defender touches the ball purposely. Still, Giovani dos Santos was flagged offside on this play, bringing back another goal. Image cribbed from ESPN.
You can’t be offside on a corner, or when a defender touches the ball purposely. Still, Giovani dos Santos was flagged offside on this play, bringing back another goal. Image cribbed from ESPN.

Yes, Cameroon came on late, and even managed to come close — keeper Guillermo Ochoa made a quality diving save on a Benjamin Moukandjo header just as the game entered stoppage time. But let’s face it, the Mexicans dominated this game on both sides of the ball. They had the ball 58% of the time, and swarmed on Cameroon forwards whenever the ball came into the defensive half.

Kudos to coach Miguel Herrera for reprogramming the usually hotheaded, individualistic Mexicans. This team played a patient, smart passing game that I’ve not seen on a Mexican club before.  Even when the calls went against them, los Mexicanos avoided emotional play; they kept position, kept their heads, and kept control. They look dangerous to come out of Group A — whether they’ll be able to keep their heads long enough to withstand the aforementioned Netherlands, well, that’s another story.

Javier Hernandez chases a loose ball in monsoon rains during their opening game win over Cameroon. Photo stolen indiscriminately after a lazy Google search.
Javier Hernandez chases a loose ball in monsoon rains during their opening game win over Cameroon. Photo stolen indiscriminately after a lazy Google search.

Tuesday’s match between Mexico and the host Brazilians ought to be a thing of beauty, though. Here’s hoping it’s not ruined by Brazilian dives and anti-Mexican refs.