Pedro Henriques backs referee after busy Guimaraes-FC Porto night

Pedro Henriques gave a clear verdict on Guimaraes vs FC Porto: the referee handled a difficult match well. Speaking to A Bola, the refereeing analyst said there were “good refereeing in a difficult match” and that “almost all” the incidents were resolved correctly. He also pointed to the major decisions in the boxes, where he saw no penalties and no serious errors.

The major decisions in the boxes

Henriques was explicit on the two key penalty-area moments. At 38’, Borja Sainz's goal for FC Porto was judged legal after two offside checks involving Bednarek, Alberto Costa and Borja Sainz. At 52’, he said the ball-to-arm contact was outside the box and came from teammate Pablo Rosário’s left foot against Zaidu’s right arm, so there was no penalty.

That is why his overall verdict stayed positive. He said the goals were legal, the box decisions were correct, and the referee met expectations disciplinarily as well.

The protocol and stoppage management

Henriques also highlighted the less visible part of the job. He praised the handling of the double purple card and the concussion protocol, then noted the unusual load that came with it: 13 substitutions that could have been 14.

The late-game management fitted that pattern. At 90’, the referee added eight minutes because of two goals, two yellow cards, Bednarek’s medical assistance and seven stoppages for substitutions. The match was busy from start to finish, but Henriques's view is that the officials kept control of the key calls and did not get dragged into a refereeing story that was not really there.