Iturralde González on disallowed goal in Benfica v Rio Ave: "One thing is..." | OneFootball

Iturralde González believes that Nicolás Otamendi committed a foul on the Vila Condense defender in the play that resulted in António Silva’s disallowed goal during the Benfica - Rio Ave match. The Eagles drew 1-1 in the first (postponed) round of the Liga Portugal Betclic, in a match with several controversial moments.

"It was rightly disallowed because it was a clear foul. Otamendi steps on Vrousai while contesting the ball. If the stepping hadn’t occurred, it would have been a normal challenge, but by stepping on his opponent, he prevents him from continuing to contest the ball," Iturralde González began to explain.

Asked by the newspaper Record, the former international referee had no doubts in his analysis of the controversial play that would have resulted in a 1-0 lead for Benfica against Rio Ave: "He gains an advantage with that step. It’s a clear step and VAR did very well to alert the referee".

"One thing is a challenge where you’re fighting for the ball using your arms, which is allowed, because even then the defender can stay in the play," Iturralde González went on to explain, revealing how Otamendi should have approached the play in Rio Ave’s box.

However, according to Iturralde González’s understanding, that’s not what happened, so the match referee was right to disallow Benfica’s goal: "But with the step, he can no longer continue to contest the ball. You gain an advantage with the foul. It’s a foul and VAR did very well".

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