Vitória After PAOK Loss: ‘We Didn’t Lose Because of the Referee’

The Portuguese coach was disappointed with his team’s performance in the match against PAOK in Thessaloniki. Olympiacos lost 2-0 to PAOK, significantly impacting their title race. The team struggled, especially in the second half, failing to create any notable scoring opportunities. The green-clad Olympiacos fans were vocal about the penalty awarded to PAOK’s Morón for the 2-0 goal, but Ruí Vitória clarified that the referee did not influence the result. Here’s what Ruí Vitória had to say: ‘We lacked attacking intensity both defensively and offensively where we should have had better ball circulation. The first half went relatively well for us in terms of control and possession, but we couldn’t generate phases in the opponent’s area. Unfortunately, we conceded a goal at a bad time and in a way that shouldn’t happen. It was a massive blow to receive a goal before halftime, let alone the second goal early in the second half when we needed to react. This felt like a punch in the gut. After the 2-0, the team should have pushed forward to turn the game around. Instead, it relied more on heart than on strategy, losing focus. In some instances, substitutions left the team disjointed, which impacted the flow. Unable to score and re-enter the game, our final image is that we simply didn’t play well. This is partly due to a lack of energy, but also because we played unorthodoxly in the second half.’ Regarding his reaction to the penalty decision: ‘I have no issue responding. I approached the referee respectfully, acknowledging that elite referees should make decisions only when they’re 100% sure. If not, they shouldn’t whistle as it creates imbalance in the result. In this game, we weren’t good. In my opinion, the penalty was given too easily during a critical phase of the match. Such referees should only whistle when they’re 100% certain. However, we didn’t lose because of the referee but because we didn’t do what we should have done.’