Daniele De Rossi - Italy
The light-footed Italian was a shining light in the tense match against the All Whites: he shot well and was one of few players on the pitch willing to dribble at defenders. But when Tommy Smith got the lightest of touches on the Italian's shirt
at a corner, he went down like an unsteady pile of Roman ruins. Sure, it was a penalty - De Rossi got around his marker well and Smith should have known better - the resulting dive had security scanning the stadium for a lone sniper.
Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal
He's been one of the best players in the world for half a decade - and yet to many soccer fans, the Real Madrid winger is known more for petulance, diving and whinging. Ronaldo livened up a dull 0-0 draw with the Ivory Coast by hitting the post from 35m, but his most acrobatic feat of the match was to leap clear of a sloppy tackle by Didier Zokora then flop around clutching his leg to get a yellow card for the defender. He later earned one himself, so there is a little justice in the world.
Kader Keita - Ivory Coast
The third red card of Kaka's career came after the Ivorian midfielder waved his arms flamboyantly and dropped to the deck after the two players had brushed against each other innocuously. Kaka's 70-year-old grandmother, Vera, had harsh words for the referee decision in the 88th minute to show him a second yellow. "I can't repeat here what she said about the referee. She was happy with the way I played, but sad with the sending off. With all the respect that she has, she launched a bit of a tirade at the referee."
