Following the defeat to Braga, the Benfica player left harsh criticism of the referees, pointing out that the final was “spoiled” after Helton’s expulsion.
“First, I want to congratulate Braga on winning the Portuguese Cup. Secondly, everything that can be said will not be in my favor, nor in Benfica, but everyone saw what happened. The referee who ended up ruining the game for 18 minutes, in a final that will be well contested. The final with 22 excellent players, in which, unfortunately, three people whom we respect but who made mistakes, including VAR, began with what Pizzi said, stressing that the Referee’s team had ruined the Portuguese Cup final.
“At least I have this perception on the pitch that they ended up ruining the Portuguese Cup final, which could have been beautiful and ended in the worst way, with a sad show at the end that was a mess. It portrays what Portuguese football is and the moment we are going through, which is frankly very annoying. Exile gives rise to such things. The banishment was at the beginning, but it made it difficult for us to play. It was controversial “Congratulate Braga and we need to think about the next season,” he concluded.
Braga won 2-0 this Sunday, Benfica in Coimbra and their third Portuguese Cup, scoring goals from Lucas Piazón and Ricardo Horta. Helton, Taarabt and Piazon were sent off and there was a mess towards the end of the game.
