2026-27 UEFA Champions League, Play-Offs, Second Legs, games to be played on 26 August 2026.
Wednesday 26 August 2026
NK CELJE (SVN) - ŠK SLOVAN BRATISLAVA (SVK)
Referee: Alejandro José Hernández Hernández ESP
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Sánchez Rojo ESP
UEFA Referee Observer: Lutz Michael Fröhlich GER
Assistant Referee 2: Diego Sánchez Rojo ESP
UEFA Referee Observer: Lutz Michael Fröhlich GER
21:00 CET - Athens (AEK Arena)
AEK (GRE) - LEVSKI SOFIA (BUL)
Referee: Clément Turpin FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Pagès FRA
Fourth Official: Romain Lissorgue FRA
Video Assistant Referee: Jérôme Brisard FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bastien Dechepy FRA
UEFA Referee Observer: Terje Hauge NOR
Assistant Referee 2: Benjamin Pagès FRA
Fourth Official: Romain Lissorgue FRA
Video Assistant Referee: Jérôme Brisard FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Bastien Dechepy FRA
UEFA Referee Observer: Terje Hauge NOR
21:00 CET - Stavanger (Viking Stadion)
VIKING FK (NOR) - DINAMO ZAGREB (CRO)
Referee: José María Sánchez Martínez ESP
UEFA Referee Observer: Sokol Jareci ALB
UEFA Referee Observer: Sokol Jareci ALB
21:00 CET - Décines-Charpieu (Parc Olympique Lyonnais)
OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS (FRA) - FENERBAHÇE (TUR)
Referee: Maurizio Mariani ITA
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Tegoni ITA
UEFA Referee Observer: Howard Webb ENG
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Tegoni ITA
UEFA Referee Observer: Howard Webb ENG
A great chance for Mariani. (Observer Howard Webb). It might be a bit early to say this, but in my opinion, Mariani is a potential Champions League final referee candidate.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely either him or Omar Artan
DeleteMariani, Artan or Webb himself 😅
DeleteThere’s only one thing that’s certain: Rade Obanović will be the fourth official for that final match. 😁😁
DeleteThis performance in Lyon gives no matches in the group-stage!!!
DeleteMariani wasn’t a surprise; we were all expecting him to be appointed for such a big match. It’s a great opportunity for him.
ReplyDeleteIt's this the first match in Europe, as 4-th official, for A. Rojas?
ReplyDeleteNo.. https://www.transfermarkt.com/javier-alberola-rojas/profil/schiedsrichter/9469/plus/0?funktion=4&saison_id=&wettbewerb_id=
DeleteOT:
ReplyDeleteMaresca back in style,4 cards in 40 minutes.
Very good officiating in first half, unless a wrong foul he whistled to the other team.
DeleteAgree,that's the kind of Maresca we all like-brave ,without hesitation showing cards
DeleteMaybe towards the end of 1st half missed 2nd YC to Dia.
Now 2nd half pretty incosistent,like he decided no more cards in 2nd half.
DeleteMariani is among the favorites by now with the support from the Refcom, He can't afford to lose a step because he should reach the very top in World refereeing in no time.
ReplyDeleteWish him the best of luck come Wednesday, Can this be his year, Time will tell
It will be a difficult match for Mariani. It has been designated as a high-risk match from a security perspective. There will be nearly 2,500 Fenerbache fans, and Fener away supporters generally keep causing incidents and throwing flares onto the pitch. I hope Mariani is aware of those possible incidents that are likely to occur.
ReplyDeleteI don't think any of the referees on the elite list worry about the fans or the incidents the crowd might cause. This is an issue for the match delegate; the referee in this match has a lot of other things on his mind, in my opinion
DeleteFenerbahçe's French player Guendouzi shows his middle finger to the Lyon fans. Can he receive a red card before the match starts? https://x.com/actufoot_/status/2092682471443775493?s=46
ReplyDeleteNo it is not possible
DeleteYes, he can be sent off before kick-off, in that case he must be replaced by a substitute player and becomes ineligible to participate.
DeleteI found this in the IFAB LotG: Law 5.3:Disciplinary action:
ReplyDeleteThe referee has the authority to take disciplinary action from entering the field of play for the pre-match inspection until leaving the field of play after the match ends (including penalties (penalty shoot-out)). If, before entering the field of play at the start of the match, a player commits a sending-off offence, the referee has the authority to prevent the player taking part in the match (see Law 3.6); the referee will report any other misconduct
So?
DeleteBad start for Mariani
ReplyDeleteNot a very good start by Mariani. Wrong corner for Fener corrected by VAR and few minutes later completely ridiculous call for FK instead of a blatant advantage for Lyon. And finally, corner - quite clear - missed for Lyon. Some hard fouls by turkish players and lenient style. Ok for now.
ReplyDeleteMariani ???
ReplyDeleteVery very clear YC for holding with two hands missed by Turpin, min 21.
ReplyDelete90m away from the opposite goal ?
DeleteLack of respect is still lack of respect, no matter where it happens 🤷♂️
DeleteOFR for handball penalty given by Sanchez a few minutes ago...pretty hard to spot live and likely wouldn't be given in the PL...
ReplyDeleteThis intervention is one of the reasons many fans don’t like VAR.
DeleteEverybody (near) forgets the word in LoG regarding handball, intentionally. This is never a penalty!
DeleteNot convincing at all by Mariani. Inconsistent foul detection, lenient disciplinary line and quite hesitating refereeing…
ReplyDeleteClear PK after OFR by Hernández in Celje-Slovan. Should have been given live, IMO.
ReplyDeleteSorry to say but you can see very clearly today why it was so difficult to find a Spanish WC referee. They are simply far away from top level. It reminds me a little bit of the German situation in 2022 and 2023 when Siebert was in a very bad form and we only had Zwayer and Stieler as alternatives.
Delete33’: good YC for Skriniar. Mandatory one at 0/2 here..
ReplyDelete8 out of 10 decisions Mariani makes on the pitch are wrong. a very poor performance. He awarded a free kick for a ball that hit Kanté's back, and Lyon could have scored from it.
ReplyDeleteAgree. Less than 8/10 but very insecure Mariani in general in many situations…
DeleteClear penalty missed
ReplyDelete@hans His hand hasn't touched the ground yet? You can't call that a supporting hand.
DeleteHB: It is sufficient to be in a natural downward movement; the ground does not have to be touched. That is the general rule.
DeleteCan someone explain to me why this is not a penalty? clear handball by lyon player..
ReplyDeleteCorrect penalty by Turpin.
ReplyDeleteGood offside by AR2 in France. Crowd didn't realise though....
ReplyDeleteTv director was also slow to realise...
DeleteAgree. Very good AR 2 Tegoni here !
DeleteMariani…God god god !
ReplyDeleteMariani is taking his time... long time in front of the monitor
DeleteWell, if there is one candidate less for UEFA finals this year, it is Mariani definetley!
ReplyDeleteDon't think the attacker touched the ball so foul rather than offside.
ReplyDeleteSorry but this is not the performance of a CL final referee what Mariani shows in Lyon
ReplyDeleteNot even CL standard…
DeleteI am very curious what Rosetti will do . After his statements about VAR at the beginning of the season he must refuse this. Maybe a chance for Massa and Guida to get good appointments?
Delete+1. Rosetti said words completely ignored here by Italians VAR. What a joke !
DeleteA very messy situation
ReplyDeleteCompletely disgusting decision. Never an obvious error here ! No foul for AR2, no foul live by Mariani and 3 mn to decide after 45 replays to whistle a very very soft contact. This is never a top class refereeing. Poor at high level !
ReplyDeleteIt was offside!!!
DeleteMariani signalled a foul, don’t think it touched the attacker for it to be offside.
DeleteNever. Ball is played by defensor. Not attacker.
DeleteMariani indicated direct free kick. It was a foul.
DeleteCan never be offside, why not APP???
ReplyDeleteMARIANI U NOT DESERVE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GUESS WHAT IF MARIANI NOT AN ITALIAN REFEREE
ReplyDeleteMariani called a foul. not offside
ReplyDeleteIt must be a bad evening for Rosetti two examples how to use NOT VAR and a ridiculous mistake by Hernandez to not spot this penalty live
ReplyDeleteI can’t remember a performance by Mariani good enough to justify this appointment in the hottest of the CL play-off clashes. He failed tonight, but this is not a big surprise IMO.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely ridiculous refereeing by Mariani. No foul first, and again - 30 times in this match - changed his mind for the contrary he decided. Not even conference league level in this match. Unbelievable.
ReplyDelete6 mins of added time is a joke.
ReplyDelete3/4 mn to OFR and 6 mn only ? Sorry but a joke, bad joke by italian crew tonight Chefren…
ReplyDeleteWhat a caution for Fenerbache in the last minute. What a joke!
ReplyDeleteAgree. Ridiculous one.
DeleteOne of the worst refereeing I had seen from bad matches on WC. Never seen this kind of hesitating decisions from all aspects to goal kick from key calls. Abyssal.
ReplyDeleteOne of the worst referee performances I've ever seen. maybe the worst match of Mariani’s career.
ReplyDeleteFight on the pitch, and the referees have left the field of play.
ReplyDelete😂😂😂
DeleteUnbelievable !
DeleteThere is a bi fight at the end of the Lyon-Fenerbahçe match.
ReplyDeleteI hope Guendouzi will be banned for several matches by UEFA. Outrageous attitude. Disgusting.
ReplyDeleteBut where are the referees ? Already left the pitch in this kind of match is a professionnal foul by referees. Should Mariani gives by committee additional holidays. Phantom refereeing and phantom attitude.
DeletePlayers from both teams are fighting on the pitch 😂 No referees on the pitch… I can't stop laughing.
ReplyDeleteChefren or one of his italian buddies deleted my comment where I said Mariani's disgusting, but it seems I'm not the only one to think he's just boosted up to the moon to cover up for Orsato's retirement.
ReplyDeleteI've never ever seen a referee hesitate so much in every single important decision. Corners took forever to be called, throw-ins as well.
OFR: Absolute joke to accept VAR intervention.
Abyssal.
+1. Speechless.
DeleteAbyssal performance by Mariani tonight. More than half his decisions were wrong/unsure, and the crucial decision to overturn Lyon’s goal is at most wrong, at least never VAR stuff, even more with the new guidelines.
ReplyDeleteSome mistakes in reading the game, in positioning. Cherry on the cake, where were the referees during the massive confrontation at final whistle ? Confrontations began during warm-up, it was obvious that things would turn bas at the end.
Once again, what did Mariani do to earn this prestigious assignment ?
One of the worst refereeing performances in recent times in CL.
100 %. Even for a simple throw-in, unable to decide correctly. Simply scandalous at this level.
DeleteDont forget %1000 penalty for fenerbahce
Deletecrazy 🤯 https://x.com/tekyolfener/status/2092719346082787427?s=46
ReplyDeleteRosetti will surely not be happy with the performances today
ReplyDeleteMy sum up :
ReplyDeleteBeyond a refereeing performance marked by an unprecedented number of hesitations and such a poor overall standard, Mariani has above all put Rosetti in a very difficult position with a performance effectively dictated by his VAR, which changed the course of the match through a decision that took far too long to reach for anyone to stand by it with conviction.
For me, this brings us back to an on-field decision that was correct and should not have been overturned by VAR under the committee’s own guidelines — leaving its chairman looking utterly incompetent.
Fortunately, such an abysmal performance has come right at the start of the season, and Mariani may still have time to make people forget about it. But you cannot expect to be appointed to a final or other decisive matches if you are unable to handle a Lyon–Istanbul play-off.
The Italian referee showed no authority whatsoever, had no control over the players, and became completely overwhelmed by hesitant decisions that were too often reversed or simply wrong. It was an absolute disaster.
Fully agree.
DeleteJalal Jayed, who officiated the Germany-Paraguay match, and tonight's performance by Mariani. go straight into my top 2 worst refereeing performances I've ever seen
ReplyDeleteTantashev can complete the podium !
DeleteEven as German I must say the worst performance of the WC was Paraguay-France (I forgot the name of the referee)
DeleteNot at Tantashev level. But I hope never seen again a refereeing like Ouzbek referee did !
DeleteOops, I meant Tantasev...
DeleteFrance–Paraguay
Hernandez without control and courage!!!
ReplyDeleteNot much else can be said about what we have seen tonight…maybe just that some users should not hurry up and over criticize a ref for a so so SYC…
ReplyDeleteIf it‘s a PSG-England final again the situation for Rosetti will be very uncomfortable
ReplyDeleteI’ve watched hundreds of Champions League matches. I’ve never seen a more poor refereeing performance than the one by Mariani that I saw tonight. This performance at this level… horrible, horrible, horrible…
ReplyDeleteNow, let's not even talk about my comment yesterday regarding Kovacs' mistakes.
ReplyDeleteThere are referees who can do whatever they want and still get games, and important games at that.
There are others who can't miss a penalty and they stop getting games, and these reports serve as justification for not getting promoted to a higher group or not getting more important games. Mariani is one example among many. Mariani got promoted to the elite because he's Italian and was there to replace Orsaro, just as Rade Obrenovic got promoted to the elite to replace Vincic without having done anything to deserve such an award.
In other countries, even if the referees officiate everything perfectly, there's always a "but"...
Politics, personal tastes, and not meritocracy.
And here on this blog, politics is a big part of it…
There are things that will never change.