Day 15: We kick-started the day with our morning routine run and some stretching. The debriefing of the previous day's matches was brought forward to an earlier time slot as Massimo Busacca was departing from the tournament today and wanted to add more valuable details in the debriefing and wish us all the best for the remainder of the tournament. Chris’s match was played at a fast tempo, with both Thailand and Morocco moving the ball quickly and using explosive movement off the ball to create and challenge for space on the pitch. The match was physical, meaning a lot of concentration was needed to ensure the game was played safely and fairly, and players contested the spaces on the pitch in a fair way. The match finished in a draw with Thailand scoring in the last minute of the game using the power play goalkeeper. Chris said, “I enjoyed the match, and it was a good opportunity to work with another group of referees to pass on my knowledge and learn new skills and techniques for my development”.

Day 16: A freezing and wet morning to wake up to, and as per our standard daily program, our active recovery session from the previous nights match still goes ahead for Chris with a run, some dynamic movements and stretches to finish. Following breakfast, we again had our morning debrief of evening matches from yesterday. Some of the topics covered in the debrief was Team Work, Tactical Fouls, Video Support and Handball Situations. The feedback we received was valuable and positive, which can support us in our next appointments. Later in the evening, Antony was in Vilnius for his match - Argentina vs Serbia. The game was very competitive and physical in the first half after Serbia took the lead. Form Antony’s role as 3rd referee, both benches were difficult at times to control, and this was especially relevant when Serbia had a player sent off in the first half for serious foul play. There were two incidents of video support, one red card, two yellow cards and eight fouls in the first half, which reflected the match's intensity. In the second half, the players took note of the strong line being taken by the match officials, and there was only one foul and one yellow card. The match finished 4-2 in favour of Argentina.

Day 17: Our morning began with an early weight control session, and then we moved into our debriefing of yesterday’s matches. With 27 clips for discussion, the referee’s and their team involved had the opportunity to express their opinions on the topics and decisions on each situation were made and evaluated. This afternoon Antony again departed on the bus for Klaipeda. At the same time, Chris prepared with his team for the evening match, Costa Rica vs the hosts Lithuania, where he was the 3rd referee. What a match it was. It turned out to be a great match with eight goals, 18 fouls, five yellow cards and one red card. The first half was very close, with both teams playing a high press game and putting pressure on the opposition to turn the ball over in the attacking half. With a high press comes physical challenges that the referee team managed accordingly. The second half stepped up with the hosts throwing everything at Costa Rica, and the 5000 spectators got right behind them all the way to the end. The atmosphere and noise in the stadium was amazing and ensured the match was a spectacular event. Costa Rica ended up winning the match 6 – 2.

Day 18: The morning kicked off for Chris at the hotel with the medical team carrying out the PCR test that we must have every 48 hours. Following this, he was down at the training stadium for his match preparation training session. He was appointed as referee 1 to the USA vs Serbia match on Monday in Klaipeda. The morning debrief again added valuable learning outcomes for all the referees where we focused on Challenges, Tactical Fouls, Game Management and Video Support. Today we discussed 21 clips, and Antony and some of our referee colleagues in Klaipeda joined us in the base hotel via Zoom. Antony had the match in Klaipeda between Portugal and Morocco that was well-contested and finished 3-3. It was a successful performance on the pitch with Ryan Shepperd from Australia, which was also nice to experience the game and extend the ANZAC relationship.

Day 19: Chris’s match started with a hiss and a roar, with both teams physically contesting for spaces on the pitch. As the game settled, Serbia took control of the match by maintaining possession of the ball and using various tactical rotations and set plays and went ahead at the break 4-0. The USA came out strong again in the second half. However, they couldn’t capitalize on the few chances they created and fell to another strong tactical second half from Serbia, who expertly controlled the match defensively, kept possession of the ball and put away another three goals to win the game 7-0. Antony’s match that he was involved in was dominated by Spain. They were tactically and technically a level above Angola for the full duration of the match, winning comfortably 4-1.

Day 20: Today was the official rest day between the conclusion of the group matches and the beginning of the round of 16 matches. Both of us were in Klaipeda, so we joined our referee colleagues and Pierluigi Collina via zoom to announce matchday ten appointments (the first day of the round of 16). After the appointments, we jumped on the bus for the 3.5 hours drive back to HQ. Once back, we dropped our bags, had a quick lunch and concluded the day with an active recovery session.

Day 21: After our morning run, we had the match debrief and focused on Challenges, Tactical Fouls, Team Work and Video Support. As we entered into the knockout stages of the competition, we looked further at Penalty Kicks to determine the winner of the match and the procedure, roles, and responsibilities of each referee team member. Appointments for matchday 11 were announced (second day of the Round of 16), and Antony has been appointed timekeeper for Kazakhstan vs Thailand.

Day 22: Today began with the good old PCR test carried out by the medical team, and then it was time for our debrief and with only the two matches played last night, the debrief was a little quicker than some of the previous days. We still had several clips to discuss from the matches with topics such as Challenges, Holding, SPA and Team Work. On the third day of the Round of 16, appointments were given to us, and Chris was appointed to Spain vs the Czech Republic in Vilnius as the reserve assistant referee. Following the routine from previous days, we were down to the training stadium for a high-intensity circuit session for both of us and match preparation for those with matches tomorrow and active recovery for the team who had a game last night. Antony joined his referee team for their pre-match talk before departing for his match later in the afternoon. Kazakhstan tonight were too strong tactically and technical for Thailand, winning 7-0. Thailand tried the power play early when they were 3-0 down, however tonight, the tactic didn’t pay off, and they conceded a couple more.

Article added: Friday 24 September 2021