Morales Criticizes Refereeing After U. de Chile Victory

Universidad de Chile defender Marcelo Morales voiced frustration with referee Piero Maza's performance following his team's 2-0 win over O'Higgins. Morales specifically criticized a foul call just before halftime that led to Eduardo Vargas's goal being disallowed. He argued the referee was too quick to penalize his team, stating, "For me it's not (a foul), I brake before, the player is already launched. I feel that sometimes they are a little more fussy with us."

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For me it's not (a foul), I brake before, the player is already launched. I feel that sometimes they are a little more fussy with us, they reviewed it, it was disallowed and thank God we were able to win.

Morales acknowledged that VAR, using slow-motion replays, can make plays appear more severe. However, he maintained the initial call was incorrect, especially since the referee and linesman were close to the play. "The referee was a meter away, the linesman too, and then in VAR, obviously in slow motion, the more paused plays look stronger, but the play was not a foul," he said.

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The referee was a meter away, the linesman too, and then in VAR, obviously in slow motion, the more paused plays look stronger, but the play was not a foul.

Despite the officiating controversy, Morales, who was named man of the match by TNT Sports, stressed the importance of the victory. "We needed it, I said during the week we had to win this game yes or yes to get into third place and fight for it with everything in the second round. Happy, we needed it and now to think about the Copa Chile, which is also important for us," he stated.

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We needed it, I said during the week we had to win this game yes or yes to get into third place and fight for it with everything in the second round. Happy, we needed it and now to think about the Copa Chile, which is also important for us.

He also highlighted the team's improved concentration, attributing their success to fewer small errors. "We were more concentrated, the truth is that because of small errors they score against us sometimes, this game we were super concentrated, we pulled it off, we were fair winners," Morales added. He also commented on his role in the defense, noting his comfort playing in a back three or four and his ability to get further up the field in the former formation.

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We were more concentrated, the truth is that because of small errors they score against us sometimes, this game we were super concentrated, we pulled it off, we were fair winners.