Iturralde González on Nacional v Benfica, silences Sporting & Porto | OneFootball

Benfica's victory over Nacional continues to be a talking point, but Iturralde González’s analysis seems to put an end to the debate. The former Spanish international referee reviewed the controversial moments of the match, and his interpretation of the events puts a stop to the narrative of favoritism that Sporting and Porto have been fueling in recent days.

Iturralde González starts by making it very clear that a major penalty in favor of Benfica was missed while the score was still 0-0: “It’s a push, and even though the ball isn’t in the penalty area, the push happens inside the box and it’s a penalty. You can’t push a player like that, whether or not the ball is in play. It’s a clear penalty.”

Regarding calls for Gianluca Prestianni’s expulsion, Iturralde González is clear: “The referee should have cautioned both players. There is a very clear and obvious push by the Benfica player with the game stopped, but if you look closely, the Nacional player grabs his opponent’s neck with his left hand. To separate someone, you don’t have to grab a player like that, especially not by the neck.”

Another moment that sparked protests from Sporting and Porto was an alleged foul by António Silva on Witi in Benfica’s penalty area: “The defender has his foot on the ground, he doesn’t see the opponent, and it’s the opponent who occupies the defender’s space. In other words, it’s the Nacional player who initiates the contact. There’s nothing there. It’s Witi who is looking for the foul.”

Benfica will be back in action against Sporting in a match scheduled for next Friday, December 5th, at 8:15pm at Estádio da Luz. The match, valid for the 13th round of Liga Portugal Betclic, will be broadcast on BTV and is crucial for the title hopes of José Mourinho’s team.

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