Sporting’s key advantage for Champions League quarter-finals, revealed | OneFootball

Sporting's journey in this edition of the UEFA Champions League is already marked in history, especially due to the epic comeback against Bodø/Glimt. But there's a less visible detail that also had a real impact on the Lions' European campaign: the decisive intervention of VAR in several key moments.

Right in the league phase, against Marseille, the video assistant referee played a crucial role. First, by correcting a wrongly awarded penalty for an alleged foul by Maxi Araújo, which was actually a simulation by Emerson - a decision that ended up leaving the French team with ten players. Then, near the end, by overturning the expulsion of the Uruguayan himself, turning it into a simple yellow card after reviewing the play.

In the match against Club Brugge, it was crucial again. Morten Hjulmand initially received a direct red card, but the VAR intervened and showed that the midfielder touched the ball first. The decision was corrected to a yellow card, allowing Sporting to remain with eleven players and proceed to a comfortable victory.

Against PSG, there were two more important moments. A goal by Zaire-Emery was annulled after VAR identified a foul at the start of the play, and another by Nuno Mendes was invalidated due to a series of irregularities in the play's construction, including offside and handball.

In the second leg against Bodo/Glimt, at Alvalade, one of the most decisive moments of the entire campaign occurred. After a cross from Iván Fresneda, the ball hit Bjorkan's arm inside the area. - converted by Luis Suárez - which allowed the tie to be leveled and launched the comeback.

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