D. Ray Morton, 30th June 2014.
Arjen Robben, with nowhere to go, dives his way to last ditch glory for the Dutch
The Netherlands saw off Mexico in yesterday's World Cup last sixteen fixture thanks to a last minute 2-1 victory, the result of a penalty slotted away by substitute striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. The penalty, of course, was "won" by none other than the flimsy-footed Arjen Robben. The winger, isolated on the right-hand side of the penalty area, took a heavy touch backwards in an attempt to make space. Despite clearly ceding possession to Diego Reyes, Robben spotted Rafael Marquez's boot and used it to simulate a late challenge. The contact was no more than a rub of boots, not enough to knock over a toddler, let alone a fully-grown man weighing 80 kg. In his trademark fashion, the Bayern Munich attacker feigned a heavy collision, hit the ground and deceived the referee to hand Louis van Gaal's side a quarter-final spot.
Mexico put on a brave performance but Robben's constant diving was the real theme of the game. Throughout the first half, he kept going down in the penalty area. Some claims may have even been legitimate but perhaps his reputation preceded him, filling the officials' minds with doubts. By the time the Dutchman had actually earned his penalty, the referee had come full circle. Seeing Robben go down so many times, he finally assumed one of the incidents must have been a foul. Weak refereeing, as you should never call something you are not certain about, but understandable considering Robben's constant deception.
Another angle on Robben's flop as Marquez looks on in astonishment
The real point here is that play-acting is every bit as unacceptable as the Luis Suárez bite that everyone has been so caught up in. The Suárez incident was downright bizarre but did not alter the result of the match as directly as a dive to win a penalty does. There is no dignity in it and Robben's reputation suffers as a result. Here is a player with all the tools to be legend of the game but rather than actually concentrating on beating defenders one-on-one, he looks for the snakey option of diving. This is something Lionel Messi never does and something that Cristiano Ronaldo has removed from his game realising that with his ability, diving can be ultimately detrimental. That is why Robben will never challenge that pair as the best two players in the world.
The Netherlands captured the people's imagination with their 5-1 triumph in their opening game against a flat-looking Spanish side. They played devastating counter-attacking football and looked like a team that could take this World Cup by storm. Since then, however, they have become an ugly sight. At times, they have played something closer to anti-football, stomach-churning stuff compared to the beautiful Dutch football of old. Their path to the a semi-final against either Brazil or Colombia is a simple one. Costa Rica should not be too much of an obstacle. It would be nice if they got there without any more cheating.
