Robben: We lacked focus! Published: Friday, 2014/06/20 ARJEN Robben feels the Netherlands must improve on their most recent Fifa World Cup showing if they are to succeed at the Brazil tournament, after Australia threatened to spring a surprise upset on them. The Dutch had to come from behind to beat the Socceroos 3-2 in Porto Alegre, clinching a spot in the next phase of the tournament but also proving how precarious a team’s balance can be. “The first half, we just played really bad,” Robben said. “We were just sleeping. We made a lot of mistakes in possession. Actually, everything just went wrong, we weren’t in the game.” The Oranje had looked sharp in their 5-1 demolition of Spain but struggled against a defiant Australia. “We had a lack of focus and concentration,” Robben added. “This should not happen during a match. We wanted the confidence that we got from the Spain game to take the win. We had to realise that this was a whole different game than against Spain. “We had to start again, from 0-0.” )Meanwhile, Portugal defender Pepe and Uruguay defender Maximiliano Pereira were both suspended for one match yesterday, Fifa revealed. Fifa’s disciplinary commission banned both players the minimum one game following their respective red cards. Pepe was shown the red card after butting heads with Germany’s Thomas Mueller during Portugal’s 4-0 loss to Germany. The Real Madrid defender will miss Portugal’s second Group G match against the United States on Sunday. Pereira was red-carded during Uruguay’s 3-1 loss against Costa Rica and missed the South Americans’ showdown with England in Group D last night.
Posted on: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 09:25:02 +0000
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