Pedro Henriques gave Miguel Nogueira a 7 for FC Porto vs Estoril, praising the referee's control in the penalty areas and his handling of a game that finished 4-0 to FC Porto. The complaint was narrower than the praise. Henriques argued that the added time was too short in both halves, and said the first period should have had 5 minutes instead of the 3 that were given.

The calls in the box

Henriques said Nogueira "always made the right decisions in the boxes, let play continue (20 fouls) and was always very pedagogical. Assistants in good shape". That assessment lines up with the key flashpoints. Victor Froholdt's goal at 4' was onside by 7 cm in the buildup, Pepê's cross at 25' hit Tiago Parente's right arm from close range without a penalty, and Bednarek stamped on André Lacximicant's left foot at 34' and was booked.

The review also says Souza hit Pedro Carvalho squarely in the nose or face at 82' in a challenge that should have brought a yellow card. Henriques was comfortable with the on-field decisions in those moments, even if the match still had enough stoppages to make him question how the clock was handled.

The added-time complaint

The break point for Henriques was stoppage time. He said the first half needed 5 minutes, but only 3 were played, and he also felt the 3 minutes added at 90' in a 4-0 match were not enough given the interruptions. There were three goals in the second half, six stoppages for substitutions and four on-pitch medical interventions to Estoril players.

That is why the review lands where it does. Nogueira was not being marked down for chaos in the box or for letting the game get away from him. The criticism sits almost entirely on the stopwatch, with Henriques praising the refereeing work itself and still wanting more time at the end of each half.

FC Porto's win was already beyond doubt, with Estoril finishing without a goal, but Henriques still felt the officiating should have matched the flow of the game more closely. The 7 stands, the gripe is the extra minutes.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →