I was standing outside the Ernst Happel stadium in Vienna mulling the fortunes of poor old Austria when the roar from inside told me something big had happened. Howard Webb will probably have one of the elegant Viennese squares named after him since he gave Austria a penalty in extra time that enabled them to darw against Poland.
Webb finally decided he'd had enough of players mauling each other in the penalty area during free kicks and corners and penalised a Polish defender. All well and good. Referees had been told to do it, but Webb was the first ref to take any action in 12 matches at the Euro championships.
That doesn't mean Webb was wrong to make the decision, just that the other refs should have been stronger themselves. Perhaps they'll have the courage to do liekwise now.
We'll find out on Sunday, when appointments for the next stage are announced, If Webb's actions are approved of at the highest level. He deserves it. His performance last night was powerful and positive. The only real controversy was his linesman's failure to spot a very difficult offside call for Poland's goal.
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