Referee Dias Criticised for Poor Performance in Lazio’s Win vs Lokomotiv Moscow | OneFootball

Portuguese referee Artur Soares Dias has been criticised for his work in Lazio’s 3-0 win over Lokomotiv Moscow yesterday.

As noted by LazioNews24 earlier today, Italian newspapers from Corriere dello Sport to Il Messaggero and La Gazzetta dello Sport all severely criticised the officiating of the 42-year-old Portuguese referee.

In particular, the press were incredibly disappointed at Dias’ serious error on Lazio‘s first penalty against Lokomotiv. It was only granted with the help of VAR, despite the fact that the call should have been obvious on the pitch.

Dias’ usage of yellow cards also left something to be desired; nine yellow cards were given in total but the Portuguese referee still could not keep the match under control, especially considering that Maksim Nenakhov possibly deserved a second yellow card.

Despite Dias’ disappointing officiating, Lazio still came away from the freezing Russian capital with all three points, booking their place in the next round of the Europa League.