Miguel Herrera blames Refs for Mexico loss vs Netherlands

Yahoo Sports

A questionable trip by Mexico’s Rafa Marquez — or dive by Netherlands’ Arjen Robben — gave the Dutch a penalty kick four minutes into extra time and ultimately a 2-1 victory. Mexican players were both livid and distraught and Herrera couldn’t hide any of his emotions as he roared from the sidelines and continued to rage during postgame interviews.

“When a ref makes up a call like that,” Herrera said. “We’re going to go home. I hope the ref committee sees and he goes home like us.”

Robben is infamous for his diving and even admitted he dove during the earlier parts of the game. Herrera claimed Robben dove three times, including the one that got Netherlands the winning goal. Some would argue that was a makeup call for Robben who was tripped by Mexican player in the penalty box in the first half, but was given no call.

“If the referee is fair, their second goal would not exist and Robben would be ejected,” Herrera said.

Tough for me not to be bias here considering A) My love for the Mexican soccer team and B) My undying commitment to following every glorious moment of Miguel "El Piojo" Herrera's World Cup, but you have to feel for the guy. He turned a horrendous Mexican team in qualifying into one of the best teams at the World Cup, and was under 10 minutes away from one of the biggest wins in Mexican soccer history over one of the tournament favorites before it was stripped from him in cruel fashion.

Was it a foul? Probably, but with such little contact I don't think you call it that deep into stoppage time in a World Cup knockout game. Especially when you have Arjen "LeBron James" Robben flopping all over the place like he had been all game.

Unfortunately this should have been moot considering Mexico dominated Netherlands in the first half, and you have to think if they had kept the pressure up instead of sitting in and trying to defend their 1-0 lead they would have walked out victors. Maybe he expected the bad luck Mexico had had all tournament to pay off in some way in the end, but that karma never came Mexico's way. Soccer can be a cruel, cruel bitch sometimes. Herrera was just reminded of that in the hardest way possible.