World Cup Play-Offs

[paultheroyal]

Surely people should be having a go at the officials, not Henry....i'm sure in that split moment he just instinctively stuck his hand out and handled the ball BUT as anyone who plays football knows........you play until the whistle, if the ref or lino didn't spot it - whats Henry to do???

There has to be some place in the game for honour and sportsmanship.

Cant be in this instant, once goal is awarded ref cant go back on it. You cant exactly then let Ireland score to even it out because it would of meant France would need to score 2!!

[Sarah Star]

LOL @ the Irish demanding the game be replayed

Got to be worth a try though. They've got nothing to lose now.

[Archie's penalty]

Feel very sad. I think it's right they call for the match to be replayed.

Henry is a cheater - the hand of frog indeed.

Video replays anyone?

[Matt de K]

I feel sorry for Ireland, but come on lets face it, I'm sure they were all really gutted when Maradona out jumped Shilton and punched the ball into the net

[Starfish]

Surely people should be having a go at the officials, not Henry....i'm sure in that split moment he just instinctively stuck his hand out and handled the ball BUT as anyone who plays football knows........you play until the whistle, if the ref or lino didn't spot it - whats Henry to do???

There has to be some place in the game for honour and sportsmanship.

Cant be in this instant, once goal is awarded ref cant go back on it. You cant exactly then let Ireland score to even it out because it would of meant France would need to score 2!!

Referees have changed their minds in the past - having spoken to linesmen and so on. And if the 4th official whispers 'it's a blatant handball'? (and it was offisde). I (alas) predicted Ireland would lose by a single goal at home and would draw (bravely) in Paris, but it's simply horrible to lose in that way. Deflected goal in Dublin, illegal goal in Paris - so ist das eben. One just has the feeling that France would not have lost to Ireland in that fashion. Not calling for a replay but feeling a bit bitter, I must admit.

I watched the game in an Irish pub packed with French and they simply found the goal hilarious. But at least they all learned the c-word and heard ways to fit it into the middle of surnames. Result. Oh.

[Dirk Gently]

Surely people should be having a go at the officials, not Henry....i'm sure in that split moment he just instinctively stuck his hand out and handled the ball BUT as anyone who plays football knows........you play until the whistle, if the ref or lino didn't spot it - whats Henry to do???

Once is accidental - but one touch to control it and then another to pass it across to Gallas is takng things a bit far....

[Archie's penalty]

Referees have changed their minds in the past - having spoken to linesmen and so on. And if the 4th official whispers 'it's a blatant handball'? (and it was offisde). I (alas) predicted Ireland would lose by a single goal at home and would draw (bravely) in Paris, but it's simply horrible to lose in that way. Deflected goal in Dublin, illegal goal in Paris - so ist das eben. One just has the feeling that France would not have lost to Ireland in that fashion. Not calling for a replay but feeling a bit bitter, I must admit.

I watched the game in an Irish pub packed with French and they simply found the goal hilarious. But at least they all learned the c-word and heard ways to fit it into the middle of surnames. Result. Oh.

Feel for you SF. Was in an Irish club in Manchester. You played so well. Gutted. From a fan of Henry to a h8er of Henry. Oh well.

[TBM]

World Cup final.......England are playing Argentina and its 0-0 going into the 89th minute. Wayne Rooney punches the ball into the net and a goal is given......would you be going mad cos we've just won the world cup, or going mad cos Rooney has cheated and the game should be replied.

As people are saying, thats football - sometimes it works for you, sometimes it works against you.

[Starfish]

I wonder though, what if the referee had strolled across to Henry and asked 'did you handle it? The Irish players are all saying you did.'

[Archie's penalty]

I wonder though, what if the referee had strolled across to Henry and asked 'did you handle it? The Irish players are all saying you did.'

Now that would be a wondrous event.

[TBM]

I wonder though, what if the referee had strolled across to Henry and asked 'did you handle it? The Irish players are all saying you did.'

If he did and Henry said "no" then fair enough....cheat. But you cant call him a cheat for something 9/10 footballers do week in week out

Funny enough we had Mike Rowley ref a game for us the other week, i punched the ball into the net, it was just a reaction - BUT he didn't spot it and gave the goal, their players all went mad saying it was handball, so Mike came over and asked me exactly that - i told him it was handball and the free-kick was given

[Starfish]

I wonder though, what if the referee had strolled across to Henry and asked 'did you handle it? The Irish players are all saying you did.'

If he did and Henry said "no" then fair enough....cheat. But you cant call him a cheat for something 9/10 footballers do week in week out

Funny enough we had Mike Rowley ref a game for us the other week, i punched the ball into the net, it was just a reaction - BUT he didn't spot it and gave the goal, their players all went mad saying it was handball, so Mike came over and asked me exactly that - i told him it was handball and the free-kick was given

Did he book you?

[TBM]

I wonder though, what if the referee had strolled across to Henry and asked 'did you handle it? The Irish players are all saying you did.'

If he did and Henry said "no" then fair enough....cheat. But you cant call him a cheat for something 9/10 footballers do week in week out

Funny enough we had Mike Rowley ref a game for us the other week, i punched the ball into the net, it was just a reaction - BUT he didn't spot it and gave the goal, their players all went mad saying it was handball, so Mike came over and asked me exactly that - i told him it was handball and the free-kick was given

Did he book you?

Na........this was Sunday league, should have done though

[handbags_harris]

Cue all the cries for technology, 18 referee's, goal line judges, cheating etc

Henry first handball was instinctive, 2nd was deliberate, but thats football. Job of the referee to spot it, he missed it as did his assistant and from their positions taken up you can see why.

Henry will be lynched, conspiracy theories will be going strong, but the bottom line is Ireland are out and France are through.

A handball like that is not instinctive, it was an instantaneously summised attempt to keep the ball in play by cheating. And the referee's decision is understandable, but the linesman has no excuse as he has an unobstructed view of the incident.

[FiNeRaIn]

LOL@ all the Henry slating. He doesn't care what any of you or other british or Irish fans think of him - he's off to SA in the summer eating croissants and toast with jam. He'll be relaxing in one of jo'burgs finest saunas too.

I feel sorry for the Irish and i was supporting them, but comments on here are laughable - oh how the Irish laughed when maradonna did worse to England.

[Compo's Hat]

Uruguay take the final spot after drawing 1-1 with Costa Rica.

[FiNeRaIn]

[Royalee]

Henry, I felt, was a beacon of fair play during his time in the Premier League. The man was held in high regard in Harris Towers, and he has now plummeted down a long way after that. I'm sure Mr Henry will be feeling absolutely gutted at this latter revelation.

He went on a one man crusade shouting at Barcelona players for diving when he lost the Champions League Final, then pissed off and started doing exactly the same thing against English clubs once he joined them and now this. He's a tosser.

[Gus the teenage cow]

to those comparing this to hand of god goal, the english still bang on about that to this day (43 years and counting) so don't have a go at the irish fans for being angry about this a few hours after the event, any country that this incident happened to would go mental, because we are a small nation with unglamourous players don't worry, this will be swept under the carpet in a couple of weeks, if this happened in algeria v egypt it probably would cause a war

oh ya and maradona also happened to score one of the greatest goals of all time in that game, what else did henry and france do, absolutely nothing, Given barely had a save to make over 2 legs, a deflection and an offside/blatant handball goal over the two legs and we're supposed to sit back and say well done france, you can f**k off if you think i should accept this with good grace, the better team over the two legs didn't go through thanks to numerous missed chances, the excellence of lloris and an absolutely astonishingly bad non-decision

I blame the referee and linesman for not spotting such a blatant act of, yes, cheating, he handled it once then twice to keep it in play, and he got away with it and france are going to the world cup, what a wonderful game this is, if the situation was reversed and we scored a goal lke that no doubt the cries for a reply would be heard with more receptive ears

still i have to say i am tired of the amount of moral victories we have had in irish sport, we are great as the plucky, unlucky loser, we are comfortable being victimised, fact is if we took any of our earlier chances it wouldn't have come to this

[Gus the teenage cow]

Regrettably I get dragged in when I read something posted by Spacey or Gus when French/Irish issues are raised.
On footballing grounds alone I hope that France finishes off the job tonight and on preferences off the pitch
France>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Southern Ireland.

no one gives a fcuk about your preferences off the pitch

although it is at least admirable that you overcome your Irish prejudices when it comes to Eastern and Western Ireland, that or you are just a bit of a retard with geographical tags

finally congrats to your adopted team tonight, outfought(are the french ever not?) and outplayed on footballing grounds but through nonetheless, yes it is indeed a wonderful game people like you thoroughly deserve nights like this, i know you're very proud