Match 13: Cote d'Ivoire x Portugal Post-Match Thread

Playing for a draw vs. Brazil is akin to suicide.

If there's a team that excels at breaking bunkers, it's them.

 

Agree completely with post-match red cards for diving. I don't understand why they have to wait for *repeated* diving. One dive is enough for a red card. The problem would be in the final when there are no more consequences we could see diving galore.

Blatter is a corrupt fool.

 

I hear you, buddy. It is damn frustrating. Ronaldo will never learn, he is too immature and only cares about fame and fortune.

 

He brought the World Cup to Africa and protected our Vuvuzela. He's akin to God in my book, but I agree on the diving.

Last note, don't underestimate CIV's chances to come away with something from Brazil. Granted it was a friendly, but this side did go into Germany at thier home and come away 2-2. Peace, love, and enjoy the next Cup game.

 

Well, i don't consider that 3 divings despite not being fault either. There was physical contact in all the plays, but i don't like this either. Worse was what Rossi did yesterday. That was a diving.

 

I'm predicting CIV to go through. Africa's best chance at winning. The way Portugal played doesn't surprise me, they're not that elite.

 

i would have really liked to have seen drogba in for dindane. this guy never impresses me. i think kalou and or gervinho could have gotten past contao on the other flank.

keita should have come on waaay earlier too

ivory coast was such an attacking force last world cup, and sven has managed to make them look like england. glad they managed a point, but if they had gotten the win they'd be in a comfortable position.

 

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bcCRAcqaFo"]YouTube- Portugal vs Ivory Coast - 15/06/10 - Cristiano Ronaldo Dive![/ame]

What's irritating is that the commentators don't even have the balls to call a star player on a dive.

 

It's not their job to ridicule a player. They call the match! Diving happens every game.... refs need to enforce their will and give out red cards. That'll teach them a lesson. But you need star players to sell tickets and what's funny is the ref gave him a yellow card for what?

 

It's their job to create an exciting atmosphere and provide insight for casual fans. Ignoring a blatant question mark like that when every fan is wondering what just happened looks really bad.

 

Well, i'm also very irritated with our performance, but i have to give credit to CIV. Great team that, surely, will be hard to beat by Brasil and any other national team. A strong midfield and talented forward players makes them a serious threat. They only don't have a number 10.

 

A dive is a dive.

No player should dive, it's pathetic, and it should be a straight red. That goes for De Rossi, Christiano Ronaldo, and every other player, even if they are a "star" player.

 

I'm not excusing Ronaldo. Just saying that he is the most criticized by that, but not the only one.

In terms of fair play, Figo was way better than him.

 

And it's a good strategy. I was responding to the idea of Brazil being apathetic if it comes into the last game with 6 points (which already assumes that we will have won the previous two). If that comes to pass, I don't think the Ivorians need to fear that we'll give Portugal an easy game.

 

I miss watching Figo play.

 

For me, his generation was the one with more potential to win an European and maybe doing something at the 98's world cup. To bad they missed it.

 

Diving is impossible to tell, in part due to cultural differences. In such an international game, there is no way to prevent it.

Nordic types would think Mediterranean types are playacting just because they don't remain subdued and quiet. And vice versa, Mediterranean refs wouldn't buy into it unless they see some passion in it.

So, short of fitting the players with sensors all over and monitoring that for clipping/touching, there is no way to avoid it. It's become part of the game. Smart players dive in such a way that the ref buys it. Which can be the soft dive if the ref is a Swede, or the screaming "Madonna! Mi ha ammazzato!" dive if the ref is from Spain.

You can look at it as a test of social intelligence.

 

Yeah I don't generally have a problem with it. I just hate the whining that comes afterwords.

 

No, it could easily be taken care of as millions have suggested with post-match reds.

 

No, it couldn't.

Those dives that are not right in front of a camera cannot be decided even by the hundreds of fans commenting them on YouTube.

 

You have a point, but seeing top shelf players behave that way makes my blood boil. I really wish that at least clear dives (no contact) were straight reds.

 

Truth is I didn't like it at all until a couple of years ago.

Then, I had a Buddha moment and realized hating it was like hating summer.

At least for now.

 

You don't have to penalize every dive. Just by red carding blatant ones like De Rossi's, you'll create enough threat to make players think twice about embellishing. It should at least be tried in small tournaments. There's no excuse for not trying it at all in 20 years.