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So…Did The Netherlands’ Arjen Robben Get His Head Stapled On The Sideline Today?

Pretty much nothing has gone the Netherlands’ way at Euro 2012. They dropped a 1-0 decision to Denmark in their opener, and followed that up with a 2-1 loss to Germany today that left one of the pre-tournament favorites in serious danger of not even advancing beyond the group stage. And the disappointing showing especially seems to be taking a toll on midfielder Arjen Robben, who was subbed out in the 83rd minute and responded by… well, getting pretty pouty.

While it’s understandable that he took some heat for this outburst, however, it’s hard to say Robben lacked desire. We say that mostly because of one sequence early on, when Robben accidentally knocked heads with a German player, opening a cut on his head. Robben went to the sidelines to have the cut treated. And here’s how it was treated:

He was back on the pitch shortly thereafter. And while we can’t say for 100 percent sure… it looks like he’s getting his head stapled, no? Someone is forcefully pressing down on his head to close a wound, and he is grimacing at discrete intervals. If it wasn’t stapling, it was something that acted in a similar fashion, with a device similar to a staple gun, and that a whole lot of people thought was stapling. And again, that was to his head, and he went right back in the game. The Netherlands hasn’t been impressive as a whole, but that? That’s pretty intense stuff.