Benfica, beware! UEFA picks referee for decisive Champions League tie | OneFootball

UEFA has appointed Dutch referee Joey Kooij to officiate the match between Benfica and Club Brugge in the Youth League semi-final. The 34-year-old referee has been an international since 2022 and, in the current edition, was in charge of Galatasaray - Bodø/Glimt (3-2) in the league phase and Inter - Real Betis (5-3) in the round of 16.

It should be remembered that the Benfica junior team is aiming to reach the final of the European competition for the fifth time, an unprecedented feat in the under-19 tournament, needing to beat the Belgian side on Friday, April 17, to stay in the race for a second title.

The young Eagles reach the semi-finals as slight favourites after finishing second in the league phase - behind only Chelsea, against whom they suffered their only defeat (2-5 in London) - and then knocking out Slavia Prague (3-2 at home), AZ Alkmaar (6-2 at home) and Inter Milan (3-2 away).

For their part, Club Brugge are making their debut at this stage, which they reached after finishing third in the league phase with the same 15 points as Benfica - who saw a duo set the tone for the match - and then eliminating Monaco, Zilina and Atlético Madrid, the latter with a 4-0 away win.

Benfica - Club Brugge is scheduled to kick off on Friday, April 17, at 1:00 pm (mainland Portugal time), at the Stade de la Tuilière in Lausanne, Switzerland. If they win, the Eagles will face the winner of Real Madrid - PSG in the final, scheduled for Monday, April 20, at 5:45 pm.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.