Jorge Coroado: Benfica got the rub of the green in Liga Portugal | OneFootball

Benfica and Santa Clara drew 1-1 in a match from the fifth round of the Liga Portugal Betclic. The game was marked by a serious refereeing error committed by João Pinheiro, who, in the 34th minute, unjustifiably sent off a player from the Azorean team. The referee’s decision was harshly criticized by experts, including Jorge Coroado.

"The referee gained encouragement and calmed his 'anxiety' with undue assistance from VAR. There was no 'reckless attitude,' but rather negligent conduct. A yellow card was the correct decision," stated Jorge Coroado, former referee, in comments to the newspaper O Jogo.

José Leirós shares the same opinion, pointing out the referee’s mistake: "I admit it was a negligent play. João Pinheiro made the right decision in showing the yellow card. After seeing it on VAR, he decided differently, but there was no reason for a sending off. There was no reckless challenge or excessive force, nor was the opponent’s physical integrity put at risk."

Fortunato Azevedo joins the critics of the decision, which ended up leaving Santa Clara with 10 men for 56 minutes: "Paulo Victor committed active dangerous play against Tomás Araújo, who, however, lowered his head toward the ball. Negligent foul, deserving of a yellow card. There was no justification, after the VAR review, for João Pinheiro to overturn the decision."

With the draw, Benfica now has 10 points in the Liga Portugal Betclic. Sporting has nine and has yet to play this round. The Lions travel to Famalicão at 8:30 pm this Saturday, September 13th and Rui Borges has an important absence.

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