Iturralde González on Porto’s shocking penalty stopping Sporting | OneFootball

Iturralde González, former international referee, considered that there was no infraction in the penalty awarded to Porto against Arouca, at a time when the score was tied (1-1). The expert believes there was no reason to call a foul.

"In my opinion, it’s not a penalty. It’s not enough for a penalty. But I believe what the referee sees, and what he whistles for on the field, is that the Porto player is about to shoot at goal and the Arouca player puts his leg in to stop him from shooting and hits him. That’s what the referee sees on the field and that’s why he calls a penalty, and VAR accepts the decision. It’s very much a matter of interpretation," he began by telling the newspaper 'Record'.

The former referee explained the decision: "For me, it’s a play where one player is about to shoot and the other is trying to clear the ball. It’s a contest for the ball and, for me, it’s football contact. The Arouca player does nothing to bring down the Porto player. But, as I usually say, these are the kind of plays where there are no absolute truths. I understand what the referee interprets: that the Porto player is going to shoot and the other puts his leg in, not to play the ball but just to block the shot and trips him. But I don’t see it that way. I see both going for the ball and it’s just football contact. I wouldn’t have called a penalty," he said.

As for the match between Sporting and Estoril (3-0), in an incident between Luis Suárez and Felix Bacher in the Lions’ penalty area, Iturralde González says there was no infraction by the Sporting striker: "There’s a slight step, a slight tread, but it’s in the pursuit of the ball and he has no more space to step. He can’t step anywhere else. The one in front doesn’t see who’s behind, nothing."

The former referee calls it 'bad luck' for the Colombian: "It’s an action that I would say is just bad luck in the game. But it’s in search of space. It’s not that he steps on him in a contest for the ball, or that he arrives late or anything. That is, he’s behind, doesn’t see who’s there, and the defender in front can’t step anywhere else. It’s not a step that should result in a penalty or a foul. It would be different if I went to contest the ball, arrived late and stepped on you. Then yes, I’d be taking a risk. But here, he couldn’t step anywhere else, not even knowing who was behind."

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