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6 months ago
24
Referee Daniele Orsato broke down in tears after blowing the final whistle in Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League semi-final defeat by Borussia Dortmund.
Mats Hummels' second-half goal saw Dortmund claim a 1-0 victory and subsequently book their place in the final of the tournament for the first time in 11 years, with a 2-0 aggregate victory.
It was a rip-roaring game with both sides throwing the kitchen sink at each other in a contest that demanded the full attention of the officials.
And Orsato, who became a FIFA referee in 2010, did not miss a beat despite being called upon to make some very tough decisions.
He notably awarded a free-kick and not a penalty to PSG, after Hummels appeared to bring down Dembele milimetres before the edge of the home side's penalty box.
Referee Danielle Orsato was seen crying at the end of PSG's defeat by Borussia Dortmund
The Italian referee was lauded for his excellent performance after a rip-roaring encounter
PSG and Kylian Mbappe were knocked out of the Champions League after suffering defeat
But there were emotional scenes at full-time, as unbeknownst to many football fans, this was the final time Orsato, 48, would oversee a Champions League match during his esteemed career.
The Italian official is set to hang up his whistle after Euro 2024 and was praised by some fans on social media following Tuesday's match.
Journalist Henry Winter lauded the official on X (Formerly Twitter) claiming that he delivered a masterclass in officiating during the evening.
'Italian ref Daniele Orsato showing how to run a game. Supported by VAR rather than governed by it. Strong, applied advantage and decisive (rightly, quickly changed pen to fk. And Mbappe one prob 50-50). Respected by players,' Winter wrote.
Orsato has overseen some big games during his professional refereeing career, perhaps the most notable of which came in 2020 when he refereed Bayern Munich's Champions League final clash against PSG, the last time the Parisians made it to the final of the tournament.
The referee, who has been seen officiating regularly in Serie A this season, was named by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) as the best referee of the year in 2020.
He also officiated the opening match of the 2022 World Cup between tournament hosts Qatar and Ecuador, before going on to officiate the semi-final of the tournament between Argentina and Croatia - and was subsequently slammed by Luca Modric for his performance.
Journalist Henry Winter lauded Orsato following what was his final Champions League game
Borussia Dortmund will advance to the final of the tournament for the first time in 11 years
Orsato was called upon to make some big calls, including this challenge on Ousmane Dembele
¿ADENTRO O AFUERA?
En el PSG vs Borussia de Champions League, el árbitro Daniele Orsato dio fuera del área esta infracción. Hummels toca el pie de Dembele que tiene afuera del área. El VAR revisó y ratificó la decisión de silbato, la vi afuera ¿Ustedes?
📽ESPN pic.twitter.com/NVa9EkyvsM
The 48-year-old has overseen some big games including the 2020 Champions League final
Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic had taken out Julian Alvarez as he looked to tap the ball around the shot-stopper in the penalty area. Orsato subsequently awarded a penalty against Croatia, which Lionel Messi converted.
After the game said: 'These things have to be mentioned, I generally don't do them, but today they have to be done. I don't like to talk about referees, but this is one of the worst. I don't have a good memory of [Orsato], he's a disaster.
'For me it wasn't a penalty. Despite this, I don't want to detract from Argentina. The penalty killed us.'
Manchester United fans may also remember their Champions League defeat by PSG back in 2019 at Old Trafford, where Ostario gave out 10 cards during the game, while also sending off former midfielder Paul Pogba.
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