Report.az
Espen Eskos, the head referee of the "Qarabagh" - "Newcastle" (1:6) match held in Baku as part of the UEFA Champions League play-off stage, wanted to show off to the English and conduct the match in an "English style".
This was stated to "Report" by FIFA referee Fariz Yusifov.
He stated that the foul committed by the opposing player against the "Qarabagh" player should have resulted in at least a yellow card, or even a red card:
"In one of the episodes, the opposing player stepped on the "Qarabagh" player's foot. For this, at least a yellow card should have been given. Because the player's foot could have been broken. The blow was delivered with the bottom of the foot, to an unprotected area - the back of the ankle. In general, he did not react to such fouls, foot stomping. It was as if he wanted to show himself, to show that he was officiating in an 'English style' because the opponent was an English club".
Touching upon the penalty episode, F. Yusifov emphasized that the Norwegian referee did not feel the spirit of the game:
"During the penalty episode in the 32nd minute, they took as a basis that the ball was going towards the goal. But even if the ball was going towards the goal, there were two more "Qarabagh" players behind Mateus Silva, who fell. Moreover, he put his hand on the ground as a support when he fell and did not see the ball. The player was facing his own goal when he fell, that is, he did not see the blow. Giving such a penalty in favor of a team that is leading 2:0 is not being able to read the spirit of the game. This is a 'cheap penalty'. It was already felt from the beginning of the game that "Qarabagh" would lose. Even if VAR called, the referee could have shown his determination and continued the game".
The referee considered it a fair decision that the goal scored by Elvin Jafarguliyev was recorded after the VAR check:
"The assistant referee may have mistakenly raised the offside flag. But VAR looked and justice prevailed. The goal was clean".
It should be noted that the return match between "Qarabagh" and "Newcastle" will take place in England on the night of February 24-25, at 00:00.
