Group F - Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia

[BoyBrumby]

Well you'd have taken being level at the break wouldn't you?

Fair effort from NZ. So rooting for them to pull this off.

 

[Meridio]

Good save there.

Italy have been very impressive, reckon the fact we've held them to one goal is pretty awesome considering how well they've played.

Yeah, been an obvious step up by the diving scumbags. Think our goal shook them into life.

On another note, what also annoys me about the penalty was the fact that even if he hadn't had his shirt held, there was no way the guy was going to get to it. Was well over his head.

 

[99*]

Jesus 22 fouls in a half, how's that compared with a normal game?

 

[Athlai]

Dunno if I'm happy with being even at the break. Mostly because Italy deserved a goal, but they didn't deserve THAT goal. There were 3 or more shots that I'd have accepted but that penalty was bull****.

Diving ****s.

 

[duffer]

It was more of a penalty than Smeltz's was a goal though. Sides being level is a fair result imo. Hope they can gain some confidence from this and make it a really difficult half for the Italians.

 

[andyc]

Was loling at how the bloke was pulling his shirt from behind, yet he fell forwards. Meh.

Let's just hope that NZ can somehow cling on to this draw.

 

[_Ed_]

Martin Devlin put it nicely - "he went down like he's been tasered!"

 

[99*]

Martin Devlin put it nicely - "he went down like he's been tasered!"

 

[Athlai]

It was more of a penalty than Smeltz's was a goal though. Sides being level is a fair result imo. Hope they can gain some confidence from this and make it a really difficult half for the Italians.

Na Reid barely touched it. Mostly quite adverse to the Italian diving, if this ref calls a shirt pull for a penalty on goal then I won't whinge about it anymore. Can't help but feel the Italian players diving is influencing him though.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Dunno if I'm happy with being even at the break. Mostly because Italy deserved a goal, but they didn't deserve THAT goal. There were 3 or more shots that I'd have accepted but that penalty was bull****.

Diving ****s.

Fair enough. But before the game if someone had offered you 1-1 at HT I reckon most EnZedders would've snatched his arm off for it.

Re: the penalty. Technically it was one, but the lack of consistency over shirt-pulling is infuriating. If a ref gives one he's obliged to give every one.

 

[duffer]

Na Reid barely touched it. Mostly quite adverse to the Italian diving, if this ref calls a shirt pull for a penalty on goal then I won't whinge about it anymore. Can't help but feel the Italian players diving is influencing him though.

Okay so he touched it and Smeltz was offside? Definitely no goal.

 

[Athlai]

Mate on facebook put this up. DIVE DIVE DIVE

 

[99*]

Italy making the changes. Want to put us away quick by the looks of it.

 

[Athlai]

Okay so he touched it and Smeltz was offside? Definitely no goal.

Quiet you.

 

[Meridio]

And straight away, first thing an Italian does in the second half is take a dive.

 

[Athlai]

Fair enough. But before the game if someone had offered you 1-1 at HT I reckon most EnZedders would've snatched his arm off for it.

Re: the penalty. Technically it was one, but the lack of consistency over shirt-pulling is infuriating. If a ref gives one he's obliged to give every one.

Yeah definitely would have taken 1-1, just a bit tiffed that such a soft decision is the point against us. Especially after they've had some ****ing beauties at our goal. The one that went off the post deserved the point IMO.

 

[_Ed_]

Very nice run by Killen there.

 

[99*]

Really dislike how any contact is a foul.

Got to stop giving them possession as well.

 

[_Ed_]

Really dislike how any contact is a foul.

Yeah it's made our defence overly tentative.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Don't want to jinx him, but Paston looks a bollock waiting to be dropped to me. Doesn't instill confidence with his handling or his control.