49 GERSWE Simon

Germany defeated Sweden 2-0, with both goals coming in the opening quarter-hour. Sweden missed a penalty early in the second half, after which they became dispirited having been reduced to ten men in the first, and the host's progression became academic. One newspaper in the United States remarked that World Cup 2006 "espoused German patriotism on a level not seen in over half a century" - it was after this match that it became particularly tangible.

The kind of occasion that makes you think, more than normal - wow, I would love to be a World Cup referee! Rewarded for a very good performance in Spain - Tunisia after a poor start to his tournament, Carlos Simon had the pleasure and high pressure of taking charge here. His high octane manner succeeded in not the most challenging match on the pitch, though the referee from Brazil had to face two quite interesting very important decisions. We start there:

Key Match Incidents 

35' - Second Yellow Card to Sweden no.4 

Teddy Lučić's second caution was correct, and he was rightly given his marching orders before halftime. Despite a position that could be evaluated as not promising (-> before the halfway line, wide), Klose was certainly building a promising attack. Lučić's gamble was that Simon would take too much head of the position - he didn't, and the Sweden player was correctly ejected. 

There are two interesting things here: first, which is not really that interesting in my view, is the quite famous image of Simon smiling - you can see Lučić himself slightly grinning before the camera changes shot, so he obvious said something genuinely funny to the referee. Second, actually remarkable, is the short delay before Simon issues the cards. In my view, the procedure would be much better if he immediately showed yellow-red to Lučić, and not allow Germany players to run towards him and another to pat him on the back three times once Simon indicated the final decision. The delay made the courageous call look like the weaker choice: but criticism on a high level - referee was crucially right in the end. 

52' - Penalty to Sweden (tripping) given

Could you make a case that a defensive freekick would be the more adept decision, as the attacker just impedes the Germany player who is reasonably trying to clear the ball? Is the contact too trifling in any case? Maybe - but it's way too much of a jump to call this penalty wrong; in the end Larsson is kicked through the back of inside the penalty area. 

Approach

The rest was not that remarkable really. Simon deserves praise for correctly clocking the handling for the opening caution of the game after advantage, though a foul at 30' was heavy and should have resulted in more than just a freekick. His flamboyant and mostly friendly manner suited the occasion well. Both Aristeu Tavares and Ednílson Corona performed well supporting Simon and evaluating offside situations. 

Carlos Eugênio Simon - 8,4 Aristeu Tavares - 8,4 Ednílson Corona - 8,4 Shamsul Maidin Prachya Permpanich BRA – SIN, THA	Germany 2-0 Sweden Round of Sixteen
Frings (27.) - SPA (Handling)	Lučić (28.) - Tackle Jonson (48.) - Aggressive Behaviour Allbäck (78.) - Charging
	Lučić (35.) - SPA (Impeding)