Barreiro on Benfica-Fenerbahçe referee call: Can't accept it | OneFootball

Leandro Barreiro was one of the starters for Benfica, which secured their place in the Champions League group stage on August 27, after defeating Fenerbahçe 1-0 in the second leg of the play-off round, played at Estádio da Luz. The midfielder put the ball in the net of José Mourinho's team in the 23rd minute, but the goal was eventually disallowed due to an offensive foul by Barreiro himself. At the end of the match, Barreiro seemed resigned to the referee's decision.

"Yes, there was a touch on top. But I don't know if I touched the player's foot, I haven't seen the play yet. It was the referee's decision and it can't be changed now. The most important thing is that even with the disallowed goals we managed to win the game", said Leandro Barreiro, thus admitting that there was a touch on the opponent, despite not knowing if it was enough to call a foul.

Regarding his presence in Bruno Lage's starting eleven, a decision that was seen as unexpected and not usual, the 25-year-old midfielder preferred to downplay the matter: "The most important thing is always that we have to be ready. I had the opportunity and I think I helped the team".

Leandro Barreiro also highlighted Benfica's qualification for the initial phase of the millionaire competition, expressing his happiness for the achievement reached by the Club da Luz, remembering the history of the reds: "I'm happy. We deserve as a team to be in the Champions League. The Champions is where Benfica deserves to be".

Finally, the Luxembourg footballer stated that the qualification was the fulfillment of another of Benfica's objectives, focusing on the eagles' next match: "It was a big goal we had to be in the group stage of the Champions. We had the objectives of winning the Supercup, being in the Champions League and, now, the focus is on Sunday's game with Alverca".

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