Santa Clara Benfica referee analysis, Henriques backs key calls

Pedro Henriques said the two hardest decisions in Santa Clara vs Benfica were Santa Clara's penalty and Benfica's second goal. In his view, both were handled correctly. The match finished 1-2, with the key calls coming before a tense closing spell.

The two decisions Henriques focused on

Santa Clara won a penalty in the 32nd minute, and E. Moreira converted from the spot. Henriques said that was one of the two toughest calls in the game, alongside Benfica's second goal. He rated Cláudio Pereira 6 out of 10.

Benfica's second goal came in the 68th minute through P. Pacheco. The timing is part of the reason the decision drew attention, because the move sat at the centre of a match already under pressure at both ends of the table. Santa Clara were fourth before kick-off with 18 points from nine games, while Benfica were second with 22 points from nine.

A match that lost control late

Henriques also said there were “many fouls and many cards” and called the end of the match “a very poor example in behavioural terms.” That fits the run of bookings: Benfica's Alexander Bah was booked in the 8th minute, Marco Silva in the 10th, and Jhon Durán plus Guilherme Romão were both booked in the 89th minute. Durán was then sent off after the final whistle.

The main refereeing argument still comes back to those two key decisions, and Henriques backed both. The closing stages were messy, but the penalty and the 68th-minute goal were the calls he singled out in Santa Clara vs Benfica.