Villarreal Defender Mouriño: Guirassy Pulled Me, but the Referee Felt Pressure and Awarded a Penalty

After facing Dortmund, Villarreal defender Mouriño criticized the controversial penalty decision that determined the match after the game.

In the 84th minute, during a corner-kick attack, Italian referee Simone Sozza awarded a penalty against Mouriño for pulling Guirassy, sparking protests from Villarreal players. Mouriño believed the referee ignored Guirassy's earlier pulling and only punished his own action.

"It was obvious that both of us were pulling. There was even a moment when I had already stopped pulling, but he continued to pull me." Mouriño said while analyzing the controversial incident. Regarding why the referee awarded the penalty, he said: "The referee felt the pressure from the stadium, so he gave the penalty."

Mouriño believed the decision had a decisive impact on the result. Villarreal had originally maintained the chance to continue competing in the final minutes. He said: "The team competed on the pitch on equal terms. Today we lost because of a refereeing mistake. We are playing in the Champions League, where there is a lot of physical contact. It was just an incident where both sides were pulling, he pulled me and I pulled him, and it should not be a penalty. It is really difficult to compete like this."

Mouriño also praised Villarreal's performance and the team's ability to compete in high-intensity matches. He believed that despite the disappointing result, the match could still strengthen the team's confidence for the next few games. "Today we proved that we can compete at any stadium," Mouriño concluded.