Monday, 2 July 2018

2018 FIFA World Cup Match 53: Brazil - Mexico (discussion)

Let's discuss here the performance of Gianluca Rocchi in Brazil - Mexico. Good luck to the officiating team!
Match #53
Samara, 2 July 2018 16:00 CET
Brazil - Mexico
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (ITA)
Assistant Referee 1: Elenito Di Liberatore (ITA)
Assistant Referee 2: Mauro Tonolini (ITA)
Fourth Official: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
Fifth Official: Pau Cebrián Devis (ESP)
VAR: Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)
AVAR1: Pawel Gil (POL)
AVAR 2: Carlos Astroza (CHI)
AVAR 3: Daniele Orsato (ITA)

86 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. It was a mistake, you didn't spot Willian in the bottom of the screen.

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  2. I noticed the same thing during the Spain-Portugal game: Rocchi's positioning is REALLY unique. He gets so wide and deep into the left corners, all the way around the side of the penalty areas. It's a little unorthodox, could that burn him if the play switches over quickly to the other side? Maybe it makes more sense when he has the AARs in UEFA.

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    1. Yes, of course! But it allows him to have the right angle to judge: you have to be on the side to see between the players and not to see the players from the back: “light” between the players is fondamental to spot every kind of fouls.... :)

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    2. You can see from the side if you don’t exaggerate the diagonal, in other words the oppositediagonal.

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    3. Of course, but his exagerations are rare.

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  3. Very good first two yellows from Rocchi, after a few verbal warnings early on. Very important for the control of the game; this is IMO what Irmatov should have done.

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    1. Totally agree: great prevention and disciplinary control in this first half!

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  4. Am I the only one who saw (very possible) MISSED PK in 9'?

    AR wrongly signalised offside, then Mexican attacker played the ball and GK rushed on him.
    Play wans't stopped when GK mada a foul on Chicharito.

    Time:
    8:41

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    1. It was clear offside. Even if it wasnt, it would rather be foul on GK not by him

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    2. I've seen a couple of places out there comment that Willian was on/near the goal line out by the corner at the time, but I haven't seen any photographic or video evidence of such.

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    3. Also, Filip -- why would it be a foul on the GK?

      MEX #14 clearly played the ball first, dropped his leg, and then the BRA GK ran right through him.

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    4. It was not offside OMG, don't make me blind plus attacker CLEARLY played the ba first.
      I'll upload image and video

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    5. I havent seen anyone in front of Chicharito, but i andle that i saw didnt show area around corner flag. Maybe i was wrong about foul because i immidiatelly thought offside so i didnt pay much attention on what happened afterwards

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    6. To be clear, it's 7.9 for AR

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    7. Here’s a video:

      https://vimeo.com/278001630

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    8. Somehow the bottom part of the picture is missing on this video when the video is stopped. Here's a screenshot with Willian's hair in it. :D
      http://oi64.tinypic.com/2d99p9g.jpg

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    10. You’re right, during convertion of the video a part of the screen apparently was cut off :(

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    11. https://imgur.com/a/OJQbXjD Willian's hair

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    12. Player was surely onside...
      https://s22.postimg.cc/zaffwwn35/image.jpg
      So either penalty or attacker's foul.

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    13. https://picload.org/view/dlgllpaw/20180702_174258.jpg.html

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    14. Maybe dangerous play by Hernandez as first offence?

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    15. Clearly onside.

      If not, we have a foul on attacker (playing in dangerous manner, but contact). Pretty much same result.

      AR very poor in making decision. Mechanics also pretty low quality.

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  6. Another great YC. Well done so far Mr Rocchi.

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  7. Much like Faghani and Ramos before him. Rocchi's positioning has been less than ideal. He was hit by the ball in the 1st half, he's gotten run in to by players a few times and he's interfered with play on a couple occasions also.

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    1. I agree he's too slow to get out of the way in the midfield at times.

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    2. Pitana got hit by the ball too but his overall performance was better.

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  8. Did everybody not see what we all just saw?

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    1. Absolutely ZERO need for Mexican player Layun to step on the fallen Neymar's ankle. It wasn't a "stomp". But it was a deliberate act of stepping on Neymar's previously injured ankle. Keep up the "great" work Mateu Lahoz. ;)

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  9. Possible VC in 72‘? No OFR.

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  10. Clear RC !! Where is Irrati ??

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  11. Correct by VAR not to recommend OFR. Neymar tried again to make things 5 times bigger then they really are

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    1. I agree but the foul is crystalclear

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    2. Agreed, Filip. Exaggeration by Neymar, although there was a step on his ankle. Missed YC for me but not a VC.

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    3. The reddest of red cards if you ask me, and I fear that the WC is finished for both Rocchi and Irrati

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    4. Otamendi likes your comment about reddest of red cards :)

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    5. Disagree. The rule about that kind of foul is clear : on the foot : YC, on the ankle or above : RC. No matter whether Neymar exaggerates or not.

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    6. That’s for serious foul purposes when the ball is in play. Ball wasn’t even in play so it’s violent conduct.

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    7. Yes, and for VC we need "excessive force or brutality". It is the question, whether that was fulfilled or not.

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    8. I think we can say that, as the ball wasn’t in play and this is totally unjustified

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    9. Layun was getting the ball from between Neymar`s legs

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    10. He only touched his leg... if this is a RC!

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  12. Good coorporation between Rocchi and Mateu Lahoz. Good to see.

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  14. I cannot understand why Rocchi didn't want to take a look of this by himself. We all know how Neymar likes to exaggerate fouls, but I am sure that this would be a minimum YC for unsporting behaviour.

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  15. Neymar should be always sent off for simulation, that's the only solution for him.

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    1. The only one who is worse is Suarez

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    2. Although he exaggerates a lot (and I think Rocchi was prepared to it, as he met him in CL this year), one must admit that he suffers many fouls

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    3. Right, but if your first aim is to put in trouble and deceive referees, I don't know how much you deserve to be protected.... sorry for my harsh words. But it is incredibile.

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    4. Yes yes, I agree, and I don’t think he deserves extra-protection as many people want for him

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  16. A good point was brought up by the American commentators: Neymar has been on his best behavior today since he knows another yellow means a suspension. No whining or dissent to the referee all game long, quite an accomplishment for him! For this we should thank Bjorn Kuipers for correctly punishing Neymar with a yellow for dissent; this has forced Neymar to behave better for the rest of the tournament and that is much better for the game.

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    1. Apart from making such a meal of the Layun incident, of course :)

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  17. I'd like to see a close-up of the Layun incident in real time. These things always look worse and more deliberate in slow motion. Mateu Lahoz was *literally* less than a foot away, looking right at it. So I trust his judgement of whether or not the incident was violent conduct or not.

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    1. Lahoz’s eyes weren’t seing it. He was talking to someone at that moment. But Lahoz also got stepped on but didn’t react.

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    2. Great, so he could literally feel the force of the alleged "stamp!"

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  18. Overall, good performance, realy liked his disciplinary management. Positioning was improvable though, he was very close to the ball sometimes and almost interfered with play. The Neymar/Layún situation might have been better solved with YCs for both or at least for Layún.

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  19. Well, I really like Rocchi's style, hope this wasn't his last match on this tournament.

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    1. I would not be surprised if he gets a SF.

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    2. Agreed, but there's so many other good referees out there who are in contention for SFs and the final, but only 3 of them can be rewarded with such matches!

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  20. Naymar should be cautioned after a VAR review.

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  21. Ricci, Mazic, Kuipers, Pitana, Faghani.
    Who else can be be shortlisted for the remaining matches?

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    1. Geiger and Cakir maybe ?

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    2. Surely Cakir.
      And then all the other R16 referees, who don't perform badly + probably Irmatov

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    3. Lahoz, Skomina, Irmatov, Diedhiou?,

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    4. If BEL and COL win, we will have 3 QFs with uefa vs conmebol. This could bring Ramos and Irmatov to QF. Probably we will see confed neitrality broken in at least one QF as Fifa said on Friday that ”these are Fifa referees, not confederation referees”.

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    5. In my opinion Irmatov should not get another match after his performances in group stage, but who knows... If we will have three UEFA vs CONMEBOL matches, I expect Geiger and probably Ramos in action again, but maybe also Irmatov or Shukralla.

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    6. Totally forgot Çakir! Confederation rule Will be broken for sure. There is no way around it, unless FIFA doesn't want its very best referees.

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  22. I see Rocchi in the 2nd row after mixed performances between average and good...

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  23. Excellent Rocchi today, this is the Rocchi I saw in a crucial matches of Serie A this season that did so well.

    I have a small prediction that he will be Fourth Official for the final, but I fear we won't see him on the pitch again.

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    1. I also think there are more experienced and even better performing candidates left for the last 3 games than him... For sure he can be 4th official in a SF or the Final!

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    2. I wish him, Geiger or for example Ricci (if not main referee position) the 4th official nomination for the final match.

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    3. More experienced (internationally speak if ok...); but... better performing: WHO?!?!

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  24. Who will be appointed as referee to final match of the world cup 2018.l can say assertively Ravshan Irmatov (from Uzbekistan )is the best nominator for this final tournament because he is unique one in the world.

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    1. I hope you're wrong, for the player's health ;D

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    2. I see Faghani getting a QF. Ricci will be in one of the 2 QF's that do not interfere with a possible Brazil SF. Kuipers is a sure name for at least a SF. Çakir is a sure name too, maybe for the final. Geiger will probably end up with a QF too.

      Hell yes, Sandor Puhl from HUN did the final UEFA v. Conmebol in 94. Then Rizzoli had last final UEFA v. Conmebol. Collins himself did BRA-GER in 2002.

      Kuipers or Çakir Will have the final.

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  25. Rocchi would be a good goalkeeper. He often gets hit with a ball.

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