Expert disputes Mourinho: Hjulmand incident wasn’t a foul | OneFootball

Iturralde González analyzed some of the key incidents from the 13th round of the Liga Portugal Betclic. The former international referee discussed some moments from the derby between Benfica and Sporting (1-1), notably the red card to Gianluca Prestianni and an incident between Morten Hjulmand and Richard Ríos, contested by José Mourinho who, indirectly, mentioned that the Sporting midfielder should have seen a yellow card. For the expert, it wasn't even a foul.

"For me, there isn't even a foul. If the referee calls the foul, he has to caution the Sporting player for a promising attack and the Benfica player being in a good position. But, for me, there is no foul, it's just a ball dispute between the two players and Ríos ends up letting himself fall," he began writing in the newspaper 'Record'.

Regarding the expulsion of the Benfica player, Iturralde González was unequivocal: "It's a play for a clear red card. Without any doubt. The Benfica player throws himself, loses control of his body, enters from behind and the side with both feet and can seriously injure his opponent. It's textbook."

The former referee says that António Nobre had the obligation to have seen the incident without resorting to VAR: "One of those plays that you almost don't see in football anymore, as it's a very dangerous tackle and puts the Sporting player's integrity at risk. I just don't understand how an elite referee can't see it without the help of VAR. The referee should have done more to see this incident himself," he concluded.

With the draw in the eternal derby, Rui Borges' team now has 32 points and remains in second place in the Liga Portugal Betclic standings. Porto (37) is in first place with five more points. On the other hand, Benfica is third with 29.

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