Robben in the eye of diving storm
Print Edition
DUTCH star Arjen Robben remained at the center of a diving storm yesterday after the Netherlands’ controversial 2-1 World Cup win over Mexico.
Mexico coach Miguel Herrera said the penalty was “invented” and debate intensified after the Bayern Munich striker admitted he had dived in the first half in a bid to get a spot kick.
Wesley Sneijder and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar led a late Dutch fightback to beat Mexico 2-1 while Costa Rica advanced with a dramatic 5-3 penalty shootout win over Greece.
Robben, who is often accused of going to ground too easily, fell in injury time after a tackle by Mexico’s Rafael Marquez. Portuguese referee Pedro Proenca pointed to the spot and Huntelaar stepped up to bury the winning penalty.
It came just moments after Sneijder had scored an 88th-minute equalizer to cancel out Giovani dos Santos’s superb goal for Mexico.
Robben admitted to diving in an unsuccessful attempt to win a penalty earlier in the first half. “I really have to say and at the same time apologize in the first half I took a dive and I really shouldn’t do that.
“That was a stupid, stupid thing to do but sometimes you’re expecting to be struck and then they pull their leg away at the last minute.”
But he insisted he had been fouled in injury time. Mexico was furious however and coach Herrera lashed out at referee Proenca for giving the penalty.
“The penalty was invented,” said Herrera who added that Robben should have been punished.
“The determining factor was the man with the whistle. He put us out of the World Cup,” said Herrera, whose country has now lost in six consecutive last 16 games.
The Dutch now face a new Latin American test when they play Costa Rica in the quarterfinals in Salvador on Saturday.
Tens of thousands celebrated with firecrackers and music in towns across the tiny Central American nation after their shootout victory over Greece.
Costa Rica goalie Keylor Navas was the hero, saving Greece’s fourth penalty from Fanis Gekas before Michael Umana stepped up to convert the winning spot-kick for “Los Ticos”.
Costa Rica took the lead on 52 minutes through captain Bryan Ruiz. But the dismissal of defender Oscar Duarte for a second yellow card gave the Greeks hope and with just seconds left, Navas could only parry a shot from Gekas, and Sokratis Papastathopoulos was on hand to sweep home the equalizer.
Extra time came and went with no goals, forcing the shoot-out lottery and Navas’ heroics.
“To the entire people in Costa Rica, those at home and out on the streets, this is for you,” Costa Rica coach Jorge Luis Pinto said. “This is a people that love football and they deserve it. We will continue fighting. We will go on. We see beautiful things.”
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