Yeah I think it was Elder playing advantage for the earlier foul on Eze, that saved the Nigerian being sent off when he retaliated. Elder gave him some leniency as he'd let play continue, rather than penalise the Roar player.
If Eze had been playing for the Roar we would mostly have been outraged he didn't get a red. Remember this game when over the season the Nix get the inevitable bad controversial call.
ALM seems to be getting more & more physical. But Eze needs to calm down. Teams & opposition crowds are going to target him for sure.
If it gets really bad, Chiefy may have to consider starting Piper alongside Ifeanyi, just to share the physical contact targeting by other teams.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360866648/there-no-var-roar-coach-fumes-after-wellington-phoenix-striker-ifeanyi-eze-avoids-red-card
If Eze had been playing for the Roar we would mostly have been outraged he didn't get a red. Remember this game when over the season the Nix get the inevitable bad controversial call.
ALM seems to be getting more & more physical. But Eze needs to calm down. Teams & opposition crowds are going to target him for sure.
If it gets really bad, Chiefy may have to consider starting Piper alongside Ifeanyi, just to share the physical contact targeting by other teams.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360866648/there-no-var-roar-coach-fumes-after-wellington-phoenix-striker-ifeanyi-eze-avoids-red-card
I still think this is a wrong read. He doesn't retaliate, it is a different player from the guy who immediately before had taken him out and which clash we had advantage for. And that rugby tackle looked like a body check and holding to stop him and put him on the ground. I don't think if it is fair to say he went down too easy in that contact we had advantage for.
If "it" had happened to us our player wouldn't have gone down clutching his face. So no, we'd have not been calling for a red because our guy wouldn't have simulated a strike to the face.
After getting rugby tackled Eze stood up to the next guy who ran accross from wider to body check him and he man handled that guy to get him off his body and to stay upright and maintain his running line.
I find it hard that he is criticized for going down too easy in what looked to me like a full rugby tackle with arms, but when he wrestles with the next guy body checking him you want to give him a red.
Elder had set a standard out there. I agree it is not a standard I like and that the A League is overly physical. But we have to let our players match up.
He just needs to get a bit more deliberate and calm in what he does to match up. But we can't tie our guys arms behind their backs while they are getting taken out by some pretty cynical and overly physical play that the refs are otherwise letting go. We want him to be a forward Siggie who dishes as much as he gets. Whatever the ref is allowing he should play to if that's what it takes to hold his runs and not be taken out.
And Chief should be backing his man and calling out what he is having to stand up to and the standard of play the refs are allowing.
The refs are never going to call this stuff to keep control of games if we passively accept what is being dished at us.