World Cup sees first cooling break during Holland v Mexico

Reporter

Jun 30, 2014 09:41 pm

Diving and Arjen Robben might have been the two main talking points when Holland beat Mexico 2-1 during their World Cup round of 16 clash on Monday (June 30, Singapore time).

However, the match made it into the history books when it became the first World Cup match to feature a cooling break.

With temperatures in Fortaleza reaching a searing 39 degrees Celsius, Portuguese referee Pedro Proenca called for two three-minute breaks in the first and second halves of the match to allow both teams to replenish their fluids and cool off.

According to Fifa's official website, cooling breaks are recommended on a match-by-match basis by Fifa's medical team based on climate conditions and when temperatures exceed 32 degrees Celsius.

Once agreed upon, the referee will implement the three-minute time-outs after around 30 minutes into both halves (around the 30th and 75th minute marks), allowing players to catch a breather and hydrate themselves.

To compensate, three minutes of stoppage time is added at the end of each half.