06.22.06
The luck of the draw
We won! We won! Okay, we didn’t win – we drew! But that’s as good as a win coz now we get to go through to the semi-final. And in my heart we won 3-2 even if Cahill’s final goal was disallowed because the ref had already blown the whistle for full time.
I’m glad we sent the Croatians home. They were playing really dirty and that’s not just me or other Aussies saying that – check this report from the BBC. For starters, I thought it was called ‘football’ (even though I call it soccer) on the basis that it was a game played with your feet. So why did the Croatians repeatedly jump up and knock the ball with their hands in the goal box? Sure, we got the corner kick as a result but corner kick versus goal, let me see, it’s a hard choice innit? Secondly, that arsehole that held onto Viduka’s shirt for most of the game – and tackled him while he was shooting – should have been sent off long before, not just when he got narky with the ref.
I do have to admit though that the Croatians played really well, especially at the end. I was really uncomfortable at the end because the Croatians seemed to have almost continual possession. Thank goodness, they couldn’t convert and thank goodness, that third disallowed goal was a third not a second. Those extra goals against Japan last week really matter now.
We watched this at the pub – Brazil v Japan was on in the other room but most people were watching the Australia v Croatia game. This being South London, everyone was fully on side with the Australians, even the Brits. In contrast to Paris, where I saw lots of Brazil shirts ahead of Sunday’s match.
Some commentary in the UK has focused on how three members of the Croatian team were born in Australia and seven members of the Australian team are Croatian. If this were true, so what? – we’re a multicultural country. But the fact is it’s not true – I looked this up and in turns out that all of the Socceroos were born in Australia. Eight are of either full or part Croatian descent but the dates of birth list respectively, Sydney, Melbourne, Sydney, Mt Gambier… Anyway, there certainly didn’t seem to be any mixed loyalties on the night.
So next we apparently meet Italy next (my second favourite team). I wonder if this will cause any confusion on Norton St or if it will just be unbridled passion for Italia as per usual.
