pantomime

Two good teams that won't attack each other...what an awful thing to watch.
A détente came about in the 80th minute of Chile-Spain, and that was the end of Group H's first round. We were treated to 10 or 12 minutes of simulation. The ball was there, but nobody wanted it, so it looked like pantomime.
In their defense, it should be said that they played a great match until then: tense, strong, intelligent and with goals. Also, they were really afraid of each other.

kalil al ghamdi

The Swiss midfielder Valon Behrami tries to control the ball near the line and flings his arms to rid himself of Jean Beasejour of Chile. The pantomime-style fall that Beasejour enacts when touched in the face would convince anyone that he's the victim of nothing graver than a minor foul, but the referee Kalil Al Ghamdi of Saudi Arabia has a sudden burst of protagonism and shows Behrami the red card. It's the 30th minute of the match, and thereafter the Swiss team abandons any intention it might've had of winning. The referee has muddled the game for everyone.
In the 90th minute, Jorge Valdivia of Chile dives inside the Swiss box and Ghamdi correctly shows him the yellow card. The referee is so convincing this time around that Valdivia finds himself agreeing and apologizing to all.