Referee Daniele Orsato was captured shedding tears after blowing the final whistle in PSG’s Champions League semi-final defeat to Borussia Dortmund.
Mats Hummels’ second-half header sealed a 1-0 victory on the night and a 2-0 aggregate triumph for the Bundesliga side.
Orsato, a FIFA referee since 2010, faced several challenging decisions throughout the match. He opted to award a free kick instead of a penalty to PSG after Hummels seemed to foul Dembele just millimeters outside the home side’s penalty area.
Emotional scenes ensued after the match as it marked Orsato’s final Champions League appearance. The 48-year-old Italian official is set to retire after Euro 2024.
Journalist Henry Winter praised Orsato’s performance, stating, “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.”
