Thomas Müller not to blame for Pepe's headbutt during Germany's 4-0 win over Portugal

World Cup 2014: Germany's hat-trick striker Thomas Müller exaggerated his reaction to a shove by Pepe but defender was then deservedly sent off

Pepe and Thomas Müller - Germany v Portugal:
Head-to-head: Pepe (left) and Thomas Müller clash during the first half in Salvador Credit: Photo: EPA

Thomas Müller was vilified for over-doing his reaction to a shove in the face by Pepe, but even if Germany’s lone striker looked as if he were searching for a missing tooth as he sat on the turf the blame rests with his assailant.

Yes, Müller was a drama queen, but he was not appealing to the referee to have Pepe dismissed. He was sitting quietly on the turf rummaging around his own mouth. A jab of the fingers from Portugal’s unlovable centre-back was hardly a right-hander from Carl Froch. Yet it probably hurt enough for Müller to stop to assess the damage.

It was then that Pepe displayed his old violent self. Marching up to Müller, he leant down and butted him lightly on the head while firing off verbal abuse. Those who think Müller cheated ought to acknowledge that he might have exaggerated the weight of the head-tap and thrown himself horizontal. Instead he leapt up to remonstrate. By then Milorad Mazic was already reaching for his card.

Pepe has previous, of course. He is one of the most thuggish players in modern football and was Real Madrid’s most incorrigible bully when Barcelona’s tiki-taka was tying the current European champions in knots. He would run 40 yards to start an argument and was even more sneaky than Sergio Ramos.

To attack Müller (however lightly) right in front of the referee stretches the definition of stupidity. Any use of the head in which contact is made has to lead to a dismissal, because to allow a ‘soft’ butt invites players to go in hard and then argue about ‘degree’ with the match officials.

Pepe’s stupidity summed up a terrible day for Portugal in Salvador. Hugo Almeida limped off and Fabio Coentrao was removed on a stretcher. Paulo Bento’s team were bamboozled by Germany’s sharp midfield passing and running. Müller scored from the penalty spot after Joao Pereira had pulled down Mario Gotze, Mats Hummels (who later limped off) scored with his head from a corner, Muller made it three before half-time and then completed his hat-trick with a tap-in on 71 minutes.

Germany’s 18-year wait for a trophy looks closer to ending after this imperious cuffing of a team adorned by Ronaldo, the world player of the year, who has scored in his last five tournaments.

You could understand why Germany led the world in qualifying, with 36 goals in 10 matches. And it was not hard to see that Pepe was a liability in a team who were overwhelmed in all departments.

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