The group games saw pretty solid referees performances. A lot of good calls. That has has changed quite a bit with the heightened intensity of the knock out round.

Holland vs Portugal with 16 yellow cards already was a disaster. Italy vs Australia will leave Australia frustrated for the next four years. A penalty kick in the 93rd minute decided the game. This call was much more than questionable. Italy will claim justice since they complained for months after their loss against Korea in the last World Cup. The ref made another poor decision earlier in the gme when he sent an Italian player off the field for a foul that could have been server with a “dark yellow” card.

But at the end my take is this: I have been and continue to be frustrated with the way Italy plays soccer. Seeing them advance sends the wrong message to young players around the world. Their game is based on waiting for the opponent to make a mistake, not on creating opportunities by themselves.

Now they have to beat Ukraine or Switzerland and will face the winner of the Germany vs Argentina game.