No handball by Colidio: the controversial moment in River’s exit | OneFootball

The elimination of River against Palmeiras in Brazil left a lot of frustration in the millionaire squad; due to the result, the feeling of having given up the series at the Monumental, and a referee decision in Sao Paulo that took away their last hope. Andrés Matonte called a handball on Facundo Colidio that wasn't there, leading to the play that resulted in the penalty, Acuña's expulsion, and José Manuel López's 2-1 goal.

Although the call was followed by a huge oversight and a foul that Huevo could have avoided (it was preferable to face a one-on-one with Armani and continue with 11 players, rather than concede a penalty and be left with 10), the feeling in the team was that the Uruguayan referee lost control of the match, and that handball was just a consequence of a brewing chaos.

"That was what was being protested. There was also one of their players down. The referee didn't know how to handle the game at that moment. First, he calls something he doesn't see because he's turned away. Then, there's one of their players down, he goes to attend to him... It's a mix of everything. In that confusion, we gave the opponent that advantage," Marcelo Gallardo stated in a press conference.

The truth is that Matonte had his back to Colidio, but the movement of the River forward was misleading. The ball hit his thigh and hip, not his arm, but the dynamics of the play made it seem like an infraction. After this, a player was down, and a quick play caught the River defense off guard. There was a referee error, but it wasn't necessarily decisive.

Penalty, second yellow for Acuña, goal by Flaco López, and River's hopes evaporated in seconds. There were still three more minutes plus any additional time, but there was no chance that, with one less player, Gallardo's team could overturn the result. They needed two goals, but soon it was three, as the former Lanús player invented a great goal and sealed the story.

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