The Argentinians ramped up their efforts too, pushing Vincic into the red zone.
“All the players were doing 150%, so as a referee you need to be 150% inside.”
As full time approached, Vincic’s legs felt heavy, his mind foggy, and he fought to maintain composure.
“When everything around you is so chaotic, the challenge is to remain calm and credible.”
The Saudi goalkeeper collided with a teammate, knocking him out. Vincic missed it.
He sometimes wonders whether the strain contributed to the error.
In Nesbitt’s experience, the intensity of World Cup football heightens her senses on the field. “You can see the pass before it happens,” she said.
Elfath agrees, but stressed another challenge: managing players from radically different cultures.
“The way you talk to a Japanese player is different from how you talk to a Cameroonian, and if you don’t adapt, you will run into problems,” said Elfath.
He finds the hours immediately before a match psychologically tough. The mind races, conjuring up potential catastrophic errors.
Before his first game, Portugal v Ghana, he walked the pitch. Fans held up Cristiano Ronaldo jerseys.
He felt his stomach tighten.
“What I remember is how magnified everything was. Every steward, every logo, every moment … it’s like life is slower and bigger,” said Elfath.
He only settled after his first whistle. “It’s 22 players – and that, I know.”
The hours after matches can be difficult, too.
After Portugal beat Ghana, the Ghana coach Otto Addo called Elfath’s decision to award Ronaldo a penalty a “special gift”, igniting a storm of debate online.
