The first final ended up being favorable for Alianza Lima by defeating Sporting Cristal 1-0, however, what was talked about the most during the last day is the refereeing trio and their controversial decisions that affected both teams. In light of this, an expert on the subject spoke to La República.
In an exclusive interview, former FIFA referee Henry Gambetta commented on the performance of Diego Haro and his assistants. The first thing is that he supported the decision not to send off Alejandro Duarte for the foul on Wilmer Aguirre.
"In this case, the fourth consideration is not there because at the moment Aguirre opens up to surpass Duarte, the defenders are arriving to cover and even challenge for the ball," Henry Gambetta referred to the mentioned media.
Later, Gambetta spoke about the disallowed goal by Marcos Riquelme: "It is a gross mistake by the assistant referee due to a lack of concentration, as he was in a very good position. What could justify his mistake is that it was a very fast play."
Finally, the former FIFA referee emphasized that Diego Haro should have awarded a penalty rather than a free kick. "It is a highly debated action because Riquelme's foot is on the line. The referee was in a very good frontal position. The player is on the line and Ballón commits the foul in the box and it was a penalty. The play was very fast and Haro saw that the foul was outside the box. We could resolve this type of play with VAR, there you have the possibility to see different angles."
When will Alianza Lima and Sporting Cristal play again?
The second and definitive final of the Liga 1 Betsson 2021 will be held next Sunday, November 28, starting at 15:00 hours at the Estadio Nacional in Lima.