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This was as tough a game to referee as they come, and American official Ismail Elfath did all he could to keep control of everyone on the pitch, including himself.

Referees’ principal aim in the opening stages of such high-pressure matches is to keep the temperature at a manageable level. By the first hydration break, the free-kick count was already in double figures, but Elfath had kept his yellow card in his pocket.

The received wisdom is that this is the best approach, because if you go too early and set the threshold too low, problems can mount. Of course, it comes with the risk that the players get frustrated and start taking matters into their own hands.

A yellow card apiece for each side followed, with the first being waved around indiscriminately before eventually being shown to Elliot Anderson.

Poor technique aside, the general approach worked for Elfath, as evidenced by a second half in which he went about his work largely unnoticed.

He becomes the first referee to come through this fixture at a World Cup unscathed, with neither side being able to claim that a decision cost them the match.