Excessive disciplinary kindness from the Spanish referee in the match that took place in Guimarães
Ricardo Burgos directed yesterday’s friendly between Portugal and Sweden. Also Spanish José Luís Monera was the VAR.
The underlying spirit of these games is different and this is reflected in the way the players compete for each move. Referees also tend to approach contacts in a more friendly, as long as there are no excesses. The problem is that this good will (which I myself practiced in identical circumstances) can often betray the intention, revealing itself to be a kind of open bar to harsh tackles or conflicts between players. Fortunately, this did not happen yesterday, largely due to the enlightening result. Still, it is important to emphasize that half a dozen moves benefited from enormous disciplinary breadth.
Below is a technical analysis of the most relevant moves of the match:
14′ João Palhinha, under pressure from Viktor Gyokeres, touched the ball, then colliding with Rui Patrício. Both were momentarily injured, without the Swedish striker having committed any infraction.
16′ Rafael Leão was not fouled by Isak Hien as he prepared to enter the Sweden box. The central defender had the upper hand and used his body (in a legal way) to protect possession of the ball.
23′ Proof of the “friendly” nature of this match was the failure to warn Nuno Mendes, after grabbing and ostensibly stopping Kulusevski’s progression. A yellow card, in an official game, would be mandatory for this infraction. It is also fair to assume that, in this context, the full-back would not act in this way.
24′ Legal goal for Portugal, scored by Rafael Leão, on a rebound from a ball returned by the right post of Olsen’s goal. All very well.
27′ Bruno Fernandes missed Kulusevski’s feet, bringing down his opponent near the Portuguese area. The direct free kick was well signaled by the Spanish referee.
40′ Rúben Dias, marking Gyokeres, touched the opponent without having done enough to infringe. The Swedish striker’s fall was somewhat easier. Well analyzed bid in the Portuguese area.
40′ Matheus Nunes was also not warned (after bringing down Elanga in an unsportsmanlike manner) because the meeting with D. Afonso Henriques was friendly.
48′ Matheus Nunes received new disciplinary credit, after a clearly unsportsmanlike approach to the dispute with Isak Hien. The contact (shoulder to the opponent’s face) was deliberate and unnecessary.
57′ The fourth goal for the Portuguese team was cool: when Bruno Fernandes assisted, Bruma was slightly behind the line of the ball.
58′ Also here, the (non) offside that resulted in Sweden’s first goal was well analyzed: when Emil Holm crossed from the right, Gyokeres was behind the line of the ball.
66′ Palhinha and Svanberg clashed heads, leaving the Swedish midfielder visibly injured. The Spanish referee still took a few seconds to stop the match, but he shouldn’t have. In these more “evident” cases, the most important thing is the physical health of the athletes, especially in an area as sensitive as that.
74′ João Palhinha’s entry was too negligent (to the point of excessive force), even in an “anything goes” spirit. This is the problem with facilitation. Everyone likes it until someone doesn’t (or gets seriously injured). For some reason they are officially appointed referees.
75′ When Isak Hien put his left arm on Jota Silva, both were outside the Swedish area. In these cases, of continued absences, the alleged infraction would be sanctioned at the beginning of the action. However, the way the Portuguese striker fell revealed the obvious: the contact was not enough to determine that consequence. Bid well analyzed by the refereeing team.
90′ Gustaf Nilsson was in a legal position when Kulusevski crossed from the left. Rúben Dias was legitimizing the Swedish striker’s position. Well validated goal.
Rating – 5
