Bayern and Sporting spark debate, ex-official: No ref needed | OneFootball

Sporting lost to Bayern Munich, 3-1, last Tuesday, December 9. In the aftermath of the match, several personalities connected to the Alvalade club expressed their belief that Rui Borges’ team deserved to leave Germany with a different result.

"A little sad, but Sporting played well. It was bad luck. We were winning, then conceded a goal that came after a foul. We deserved at least 1 point, but that’s life. We didn’t leave humiliated," said Sousa Cintra, speaking to the newspaper Record.

Tito Arantes Fontes also agreed, but ended up focusing on the absentees and the referee’s intervention in the match: "We put on a very good performance, with starters injured due to the game against Benfica. We were winning, we gave a good image, unlike a few years ago. Bayern Munich didn’t need the referee’s help."

Finally, Ivaylo Iordanov, former Sporting player, was pleased with the game played by Rui Borges’ men: "We faced the best team in Europe. Sporting did well, managed to score, but then Bayern’s class showed. Sporting had many absences, but deserved a different result."

With this defeat – the fourth in 23 matches this season – Rui Borges’ men remain on 10 points in the competition and could drop in the table by the end of this round. The next match in the international competition is scheduled for Tuesday, January 20, 2026, at 8:00 p.m., against the French side PSG, at Sporting’s home ground.

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