Paulo Freitas questions refs: “Strange to ignore VAR calls three times” | OneFootball

Paulo Freitas has been going through a difficult period since he took over FC Porto at the beginning of the season, after leading Portugal to victory in the European Championship.

This Sunday, the Dragons lost the Continental Cup to Óquei de Barcelos. In reviewing the match, he congratulates the opponent but also expresses criticism of the refereeing.

“Congratulations to Óquei de Barcelos. The first half was very secure and controlling. There are two lapses in concentration that cannot happen. One right after the 1-0. We knew it was important to be ahead, to take patience away from Óquei de Barcelos. It would open up space for us to finish. We immediately conceded the equalizing goal. The team felt that setback too much. We cannot concede the second goal in transition. The result [at halftime] was unfair considering what we produced in the first half.

We conceded another goal in transition [in the second half]. The team stabilized and got back into the game. Then, we exposed ourselves in the final moment. We know that goal seals the game [the 4-2]. We worked until the end. We leave here frustrated and sad. We want to win titles. We made mistakes, but to err is human. We want to correct and evolve. On Wednesday, we return to the national championship [visiting Benfica] and we want to honor the club's jersey.

This team has a lot of individual quality. It is used to winning. We need to manage some moments of the game better. Sometimes, it seems like a slightly anxious team because it has a 'hunger' to win and wants to deliver titles to the fans. The team was labeled as defending poorly, but the team did not defend poorly in four against four. It made some mistakes.

I didn't like the refereeing. Leaving the best referees in the video referee and leaving some referees who make mistakes in certain environments is strange. It's even stranger when the referees are advised to go to the VAR three times and do not go.”

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