Qatar World Cup 2022: Here's what Portuguese stars said about referring post Morocco upset

Qatar World Cup 2022: Portugal was knocked out in the quarterfinal by Morocco in a 1-0 loss. Meanwhile, the Portuguese players were unhappy with the referring, and here's what they said after the downfall.

Image credit: Getty

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar saw another upset as Morocco narrowed past Portugal 1-0 in the quarterfinal at the Al Thumama Stadium on Saturday. Consequently, as the latter was knocked out of the semis race, the former became the first African side to reach the stage. However, the Portuguese were not entirely convinced by the loss, especially with the referring, as they blasted Facundo Tello for some of his controversial decisions, possibly costing them the semis spot. The likes of Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Dias and Pepe were left furious, especially the former, who felt that the Navigators should have been awarded a penalty after he was brought down inside the box by Achraf Hakimi, followed by an unheard handball appeal.

Speaking on the same, Fernandes said after the defeat, "I don't know if they're going to give the cup to Argentina. I don't care. I'm going to say what I think and screw them. Strangely, a referee from a team that whistles us is still in the World Cup. They've tilted the field against us. We knew what kind of referees we would find in the competition when we entered it."

"But, I won't go into that. But, there were many minutes in which the game was stopped. There should have been 15 or 20 minutes of added time in the second half. We knew we would play against more than the Moroccan national team and that we had to decide in 90 minutes," added Fernandes, reports 90min.

Ruben Dias echoed Fernandes' thoughts and said, "He raised the decisions of the game. He didn't smile at us, but the team was there, and the attitude was too. We tried to do everything we could. Penalty shot? It seemed very clear to us. It ended up scoring the game. A draw at that time, it made everything go back to square one."

Meanwhile, veteran defender Pepe noted, "This is stronger than me, and I'll have to say it. It's unacceptable for an Argentine referee to referee our game. The feeling and arrogance of the referee on the field, I can bet everything I have that Argentina will be champions."