Benfica’s frustration lingers, Sporting defeat still debated | OneFootball

Benfica has once again brought a play from over a year and a half ago to the forefront, in a defeat against Sporting. The match in question became a topic of conversation again thanks to Luis Suárez's goal that secured the victory for the Alvalade Club against Estoril last Saturday, September 27.

Through a post on their social media, the red club expressed dissatisfaction with APAF regarding the play of the solitary goal by the lions, questioning the position of Pedro Gonçalves and making a comparison with a disallowed goal in the first leg of the 2023/24 Portuguese Cup semi-final.

In that match, Ángel Di María put the ball into the opponent's net after an assist from Orkun Kokçu, but the play was reviewed by VAR. The video assistant referee alerted Fábio Veríssimo to the possible interference of Casper Tengstedt, who might have been obstructing goalkeeper Franco Israel's visibility. The referee then decided to disallow the goal, keeping Sporting in the lead for the second leg.

Despite the attempt to compare the two plays, they deserve different judgments. While in Tengstedt's case, he was moving, obstructing Franco Israel's visibility, Pedro Gonçalves remained static, thus not interfering with the play involving Estoril's goalkeeper.

After the 1-0 victory at Estádio Coimbra da Mota, Sporting will only return to the field next Wednesday, October 1, against Napoli. The match, counting for the second round of the Champions League, against the team led by Antonio Conte, will be played at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, at 8:00 PM.

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