A relevant error among many successes
Nuno Almeida traveled to the north to manage FC Porto-Sporting. Artur Soares Dias was the VAR.
Below is a technical analysis of the most relevant moves of the match:
7′ Opening goal scored by Evanilson, who started from a legal position, validated by St Juste on the left and Diomande on the right. Correct analysis by the assistant referee.
20′ The line between recklessness and inevitable contact (that is, between infraction and non-infringement) can be thin in some situations, but in this one it was clear and it is important to understand why: Diomande never competed for the ball with Evanilson. The Ivorian central defender was in front of him and kicked it to remove the danger from his goal. The touch (arm to the face) happened due to the proximity of the striker, who naturally tried to compete with the opponent. There is no recklessness or negligence when there is no “divided”, that is, when there is no dispute between players. What happened there was a contact resulting from a legal action, in which a player only approached the ball. It would be important for this difference to be clear to everyone.
30′ Galeno fouled St Juste (he charged the full-back in the hip area) and only afterwards was he prevented from continuing by the opponent. The referee understood that none of the contacts were irregular. If someone were to be punished, it would have to be the first.
41′ Second goal following a successful assist from Martim Fernandes to Pepê. The play itself was all cool. Detail: the blue and white team’s possession of the ball resulted from a throw-in wrongly attributed to FC Porto. The last one to touch the ball was not Diomande, but Evanilson. The evaluation error could not be reviewed by the VAR.
45+2′ St Juste prevented, with his arm, the progression of Galeno, who was trying to move towards a promising area. He did so without the ball being in dispute, which worsened the unsportsmanlike conduct. He rightly received the first yellow card of the match.
46′ Nuno Almeida and his colleagues who were close to the play made a mistake: St. Juste’s tackle on Galeno – the sole of his right boot on the Brazilian’s left leg – was actually negligent and should have earned the Dutchman a second yellow and consequent red.
54′ Nico González and Hjulmand got into trouble again and were warned again (they had been warned before) to keep their tempers.
58′ Eduardo Quaresma’s faulty cut took the ball to his area, where Franco Israel grabbed it. The goalkeeper’s intervention was legal, as there was no deliberate delay by his teammate.
65′ Morita’s header was deflected by Gyokeres, without there being any irregular intervention from Francisco Conceição, who was close to the action. The image was not entirely enlightening.
69′ Free kick taken by Zé Pedro was deflected by Francisco Trincão’s right arm, placed in the barrier and outside his area. The player’s elbow appears to have left the body, but the contact occurred in a legal area. Well analyzed bid.
71′ Martim Fernandes and Nuno Santos competed legally. The Sporting player was injured when he collided with the advertising panels.
87′ Nice goal from Sporting, scored by Gyokeres, after a pass from the left by Nuno Santos (who started from a legal position).
88′ Nice goal from Sporting, scored by Gyokeres, who was in play when Edwards made the assist from the right.
90′ The “slap” that Marcus Edwards gave Galeno in the face was decisive in establishing the disciplinary difference between what the two players did. The Englishman’s thoughtless gesture amounted to violent conduct punishable by expulsion; that of the Brazilian forward’s unsportsmanlike behavior, sanctioned with a warning. Correct decision by the Algarve referee.
