Iturralde González: only one right call on Aursnes in Benfica v Gil | OneFootball

Iturralde González, a former Spanish international referee, analyzed the main incidents from the sixth round of the Liga Portugal Betclic and focused on one of the most debated moments of the match between Benfica and Gil Vicente. The match ended in a win for the Eagles, but there was an incident in the Gil Vicente penalty area that drew particular attention.

At issue was the duel between Fredrik Aursnes and Tidjany Touré, with the former Spanish referee being asked whether the penalty awarded in the match had been correctly given.

"It’s a hugely unfortunate play, but it is punishable, it’s a penalty. The defender tries to clear the ball, but the forward jumps, gets there first, and the defender ends up bringing him down. He brings him down with the leg that is on the ground," he explained to newspaper Record.

The former official also made it clear that, although he did not believe there was any intent to commit a foul, that factor does not change João Gonçalves’s decision. "Did the defender mean to do it? Clearly not. Did he want to clear the ball? Clearly. But according to the laws of the game, we cannot judge intentions, we judge the way the challenge is made. The way the defender challenged for the ball resulted in him bringing down the opponent. Therefore, it is a clear penalty", he explained.

The former Spanish referee concluded his analysis by stressing that the incident must be judged by the contact actually caused and not by the player’s intention. "He tries to clear it again when the ball drops, and what he does is, with his right leg, bring down the forward who had got goal side of him. It’s unfortunate, there’s no intent, but it’s a penalty," he concluded.

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