FC Porto Napoli refereeing: Henriques backs Oliver but questions the added time

Pedro Henriques said Michael Oliver got FC Porto vs Napoli right overall, but argued the clock did not keep up with the game. In his view, the refereeing was correct in FC Porto's 4-1 win over Napoli, yet both halves needed more added time than Oliver gave.

Henriques's overall verdict

Speaking after the match for A Bola, Henriques said: "Good refereeing, in a match with few fouls (19) and with strict disciplinary management, but correct". He gave Oliver an 8 out of 10, which fits the broad shape of his review. The official had control of the game, even if the closing minutes left Henriques wanting a little more time.

The late penalty and red card also drew Henriques's backing. On the sending-off, he said the decision was correct because the foul did not fall under the yellow-only treatment some incidents can get when a player is clearly trying to play the ball.

The added time dispute

The sharper criticism was about the stoppage time at both ends of the game. Oliver added only two minutes in the first half, despite two confirmed goals, two disallowed goals and four yellow cards before the break. Henriques said that was too little for everything that had already happened.

The second half produced even more to account for, but Oliver still gave only three minutes at the end. Henriques said that was scant after three goals, a penalty, a red card and five stoppages for substitutions. The result did not turn on those calls, and the scoreline stayed a 4-1 win for Porto, but the time management is the part of the review that stands out.