Magnificent Massimo

Big decision

The big decision of this match was in the 76th minute, when Suarez was brought down by Khune and denied a clear goal scoring opportunity. Despite the prolonged protests from the South Africans, Busacca had absoulety no hesitation in pointing to the spot and producing a straight red card. Correct decision.

Strong

Early in the match Uruguay had a free kick in an attacking position. Pienaar charged out of the defensive wall and intercepted the shot, Busacca was strong and booked Pienaar and ordered the free kick to be retaken. In the 85th minute he was not fooled as Gaxa went down far too easily and demanded a penalty - it certainly was not and Busacca was correct.

Flow

Busacca did not stop the match for every minor bit of contact unlike other refs in the tournament, and was keen to play advantage as often as possible. This contributed to the excellent flow of the match and made it a much more enjoyable game to watch than the others that have gone before.

Mistakes

He was not, however, perfect. He gave some free kicks for phantom fouls, and also spotted a foul throw by Uruguay even though it was perfectly legal. Suarez should also have won a penalty earlier in the second half when he was fouled on the line of the penalty box, though Busacca did not award the spot kick. Furthermore, Arevalo Rios was allowed to get away 6/7 fouls and did not pick up a booking for persistent infringement, which I believe he should have received.