Portugal’s beaten stars have roundly criticised referee Facundo Tello after their shock World Cup exit at the hands of Morocco.
Fresh off thrashing Switzerland 6-1 in the last 16, Fernando Santos’ side were the strong favourites to overcome the Atlas Lions. Cristiano Ronaldo, for the second game in a row, was relegated to the bench, with Goncalo Ramos expected to continue the heroics he displayed against the Swiss.
However, the miserly Moroccans, who have conceded just one goal during their historic run to the last four, kept their European counterparts at bay throughout a disciplined first-half display. And then when the chance presented itself, they grabbed it with both hands as Youssef En-Nesyri headed into an empty net following a misjudgement from Diogo Costa.
Moments after the opening goal, Portugal felt they deserved a penalty after Bruno Fernandes fell to the floor under the challenge of Achraf Hakimi.
Fernandes and co surrounded referee Tello after he waved away protests, with VAR subsequently backing up his decision. The Argentine official was then confronted as the teams walked into the dressing room, clearly frustrated at the non-award.
There were then more strong shouts for a penalty turned down in the second half, with desperate calls following a potential handball. Portugal would then have more chances in the second half, with Joao Felix drawing a spectacular save from Yassine Bounou. Ronaldo was brought on, but the 37-year-old failed to strike the decisive blow as Morocco became the first African side to ever reach the final four of the World Cup.
As for Portugal, their heartbroken stars wasted no time in getting the recriminations underway, with many pointing the finger of blame towards the on-field official.
Manchester City defender Ruben Dias said his team were denied a “very clear” penalty by Tello: “He raised the decisions of the game. He didn't smile at us, but the team was there, the attitude too. We tried to do everything we could.
“Penalty shot? It seemed very clear to us. It ended up scoring the game. A draw at that time it made everything go back to square one,” he told Record.
Pepe, who spurned a glorious chance in the final of eight minutes of added-on time, said it was wrong that a referee from Argentina was allowed in the middle, predicting they were now the inevitable winners of the trophy. He also accused the referee of "arrogance" on a night to forget for his country.
He said: "This is stronger than me and I'll have to say it. It's unacceptable for an Argentine referee to referee our game. The feeling and arrogance of the referee on the field, I can bet everything I have that Argentina will be champions.”
Bruno Fernandes was also frustrated and suggested Portugal were not only up against Morocco, but also against the referee. "We knew what kind of referees we would find in the competition when we entered it,” the Manchester United midfielder explained.
“But I won't go into that, but there were many minutes in which the game was stopped: at least, in the second half, there should have been 15 or 20 minutes of added time.
"We knew we were going to play against more than the Moroccan national team and that we had to decide in 90 minutes."
