Arjen Robben admits diving during Mexico game
Netherlands star Arjen Robben denies that the injury-time spot kick he won against Mexico was a dive, but has admitted that at least one other penalty claim was.
Laurence Griffiths
Arjen Robben was a constant presence in Memo Ochoa's penalty area during the Netherlands' 2-1 victory over Mexico on Sunday, but unfortunately most of his time there was spent sprawled on the ground demanding a penalty. Eventually he got one, winning the game, but it took about five tries before referee Pedro Proenca bought Robben's falls.
And after the match, the Bayern Munich star admitted that at least some of them had been dives:
World Cup
The one at the end was a penalty, I was fouled. At the same time I have to apologise 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.
Although the last-gasp penalty probably, maybe, was the right call, it’s very strange that Robben escaped a booking for simulation earlier in the match. He admitted diving, a yellow card offence, and it’s not out of the question that he doesn’t go down quite so easily if he’s already on a yellow card.
Mexico will presumably get even more annoyed about the outcome now that Robben’s admitted he was trying to cheat in the first half.
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