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Huddlestone was only on the pitch for two minutes, coming on as substitute with 15 minutes of the match to go. England were cruising to a two nil win, which gave them a place in the semi finals, at the time of the incident. One of the referees assistants drew the referee's attention to something that Huddlestone alledgedly said to him. The referee reached straight for a red card, which was surprising given some of the tackling and incidents that had occured during the game.
England's second goal was full of controversy, Matt Derbyshire ran on to a through ball as a serbian defender lay on the ground. He controlled the ball and calmly slotted the ball in the corner of the net. The serb's went wild and Derbyshire came in for bitter words and actions from the serbians. As the game threatened to get out of hand the referee stayed back then only issued two yellow cards, one an England and one to a serbian player.
Huddlestone will now miss England's semi-final against Holland on Wednesday but would be eligible should England make it to the final.