Following Portugal’s close 2-1 victory against Germany in the UEFA Nations League semi-finals, Bernardo Silva said that referee Slavko Vincic “doesn’t know” football regulations. Portugal advanced to Sunday’s final thanks to second-half goals from Francisco Conceicao and Cristiano Ronaldo, while Germany claimed the lead with a questionable 48th-minute goal from Florian Wirtz.
Wirtz, who is close to a big-money deal to Liverpool and was engaged in a furious incident with Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes on Wednesday night, headed the ball past Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa after receiving a fantastic feed from Joshua Kimmich. Although it was a well-worked goal, Portugal believed it should not have stood.
Replays suggest that Portugal defender Ruben Dias was blocked off by Nick Woltemade, who appeared to be offside when Kimmich passed. Slovenian referee Vincic looked at the pitchside monitor before confirming the effort, much to Portugal’s amazement. They believed the goal should have been disallowed because Woltemade was interfering with play. Watch the goal below.
Key Stats: Germany 1-2 Portugal
Germany
Portugal
Expected Goals
1.11
2.92
Total Shots
9
17
On target.
5
6
During his post-match interview with Optus Sport, Manchester City’s Silva criticized the referee for not ‘understanding the rules’. The 30-year-old said: “We expected a difficult game because [Portugal] has a lot of talent. We knew they would play with great intensity and energy at home, as they always do.
“But today we had a good game. We bring a lot of character and intensity. Going down 1-0 at the start of the [second] half is difficult, even if the goal is offside and the referee is unfamiliar with the rules, but that is another thing. “We’re glad we were able to return.” Watch Bernardo Silva’s interview below.
Why Referee Didn’t Disallow Wirtz Goal
Two possibilities behind the questionable decision
Silva and his Portugal teammates were understandably upset since Woltemade was plainly interfering with play. Referee Vincic ruled that either Germany’s No. 11’s contact with Dias was insufficient to constitute interference, or that he primarily concentrated on Wirtz’s position, who was onside during the passage of play, while evaluating the incident on the monitor. The official in charge of the 2024 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund has yet to explain why the goal was allowed to remain.
Despite the loss, Portugal recovered from a 1-0 deficit to win 2-1, with the famous Ronaldo scoring the goal, and will now face either France or Spain in this weekend’s Nations League final. The eventual champions will compete for a European trophy at Munich’s Allianz Arena.
xz
