Portugal blames Messi, referee for shock upset

1 year ago 90

Africa yet has a squad successful the World Cup semi-finals, and truthful does the Arab world.

Unfortunately, Portugal did not stock the aforesaid consciousness of sentimentality that has captured the shot satellite amid Morocco's imagination tally to the semi-finals successful Qatar.

Youssef En-Nesyri scored the winning extremity successful the 42nd infinitesimal to seal a 1-0 win to proceed an improbable tally that has generated an outpouring of pridefulness successful the Arab world, inspiring displays successful Arab individuality from fans successful antithetic countries.

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Yet, immoderate Portugal players chose to absorption connected the show of the all-Argentine officiating unit for the clash, adjacent laying blasted astatine the feet of Argentine prima Lionel Messi.

Portugal players Pepe and Bruno Fernandes lashed retired astatine the whistleblower claiming an Argentine should not person been officiating their match.

The lucifer referee Facundo Tello, his 2 assistants and the video adjunct referee were each from Argentina.

Argentina progressed by beating the Netherlands, with Lionel Messi vocal astir the authorities of refereeing successful the match, saying excessively overmuch clip had been added on. Portugal prima Pepe said the comments had a nonstop interaction connected however the referees approached the clash against Morocco.

"It's unacceptable for an Argentine referee to referee our game," Pepe said connected Portuguese television.

"After what happened yesterday, with (Lionel) Messi talking, each of Argentina talking, and the referee comes here.

"After what I saw today, they tin springiness the rubric to Argentina now.

"What did we play successful the 2nd half? The goalkeeper dropped to the ground. There were lone 8 minutes of stoppage time. We worked hard and the referee (only added on) 8 minutes."

Bruno Fernandes besides protested astir the deficiency of wounded time, with Portugal captious of the time-wasting tactics by the Moroccans.

He said referees from countries that are inactive competing astatine the World Cup should not beryllium allowed to officiate successful matches.

"We already cognize however it works … earlier the crippled we already knew what we were successful for, and what benignant of referee we would find," said Fernandes.

"I don't cognize if they're going to springiness the trophy to Argentina.

"I don't care, I'm going to accidental what I deliberation and screw them. It's precise weird that a ref officiates america from a state inactive successful the competition.

"Clearly they've tilted the tract against us.

"Unfortunately, successful these competitions, wherever determination are nary Portuguese referees, determination are referees from teams that are inactive successful the competition.

"It seems unusual to me, to accidental the least, but I don't privation to get into that, due to the fact that that's not the lone crushed we lost.

"The referee gave 2 minutes of wounded clip successful the archetypal fractional and 8 successful the second. In this 2nd half, the crippled was stopped, astatine minimum, for betwixt 15 and 20 minutes.

"We knew that we would play against overmuch much than conscionable Morocco."

While the players were furious and weren't shy successful expressing their disappointment, manager Fernando Santos said the officials did not person a large interaction connected the match.

"I don't deliberation so, I deliberation helium could person called for a foul connected 1 oregon 2 (more) occasions but mostly speaking I don't deliberation so," said Santos.

"I deliberation we could person done much and we didn't bash so. I don't deliberation we should blasted the referee, it doesn't marque sense."

Morocco delivered a semi last infinitesimal successful the astir 100-year past of football's biggest tournament. After the last whistle, Morocco's players tossed their manager successful the aerial and waved their country's emblem arsenic they linked arms successful beforehand of celebrating fans.

"Pinch me, I'm dreaming," Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou said. "Morocco is acceptable to look anyone successful the world. We person changed the mentality of the procreation coming aft us. They'll cognize Moroccan players tin make miracles."

Africa is besides rejoicing astatine yet having a federation advancing to the levels typically lone reached by European oregon South American teams. Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2010) each reached the quarterfinals but got nary further.

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