Daniele Orsato was seen teary after blowing the final whistle in the UEFA Champions League affair involving Paris Saint Germain and Borussia Dortmund on May 7, 2024.
Matt Hummels’ second-half header saw Dortmund secure a 1-0 win over PSG at the Parc Des Princes, and that secured their passage into the final.
Edin Terzic’s side had initially defeated Paris Saint Germain 1-0 in the first leg, courtesy of an impressive strike by Niclas Füllkrug.
They ultimately picked up a 2-0 aggregate victory in a highly combative game that was filled with drama despite the low scoreline.
Orsato, who was put in charge of the clash also did a good job adjudicating the game, making important decisions, and enforcing his authority all through the encounter.
One notable call in the clash saw him award a free-kick to Paris Saint Germain, a decision which initially raised some eyebrows.
However, following subsequent replays, many fans saluted the call, as Hummels brought down Ousmane Dembele millimeters before the area.
Anyway, that was one of many major calls in the game that was enveloped with emotional scenes after the full-time whistle.
One of disappointment to the home team, another of immense joy to Borussia Dortmund, while for Daniele Orsato, it was tears of him winding down on what can be termed a stellar career as an active referee.
Why Was Referee Daniele Orsato Emotional After Blowing The Full Time Whistle
That game for the 48-year-old referee was the final time he would take charge of a Champions League match during his refereeing career, having been badged by FIFA in 2010.
The Italian is set to retire as an active referee after the European Championship in 2024 and he was lauded by some footballing enthusiasts for how he handled the semi-final UCL clash involving Paris Saint Germain and Borussia Dortmund.
Journalist Henry Winter praised the official on X (formerly known as Twitter) claiming that he delivered a masterclass in officiating during the affair.
Winter wrote: “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.”
Orsato has taken charge of some big games during his professional refereeing career, with possibly the most notable being in 2020 when he was the man with the whistle for Bayern Munich’s Champions League final clash against PSG, which ended 1-0 in favor of the former.
Orsato Named IFFHS Best Referee In 2020
Daniele Orsato, who has been seen officiating regularly in Serie A this campaign, was named by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) as the best referee of the year in 2020.
The Italian official took charge of the opening game of the 2022 World Cup between tournament hosts Qatar and Ecuador.
Orsato also officiated the semi-final game involving Croatia and Argentina – and the Italian was bashed by Luka Modric for how he handled the game.
Croatia goalie Dominik Livakovic had fouled Julian Alvarez as he looked to tap the ball around the goalkeeper in the penalty area.
Daniele Orsato subsequently awarded a penalty against Croatia, which was tucked away by Lionel Messi.
Modric after the game bemoaned over the referee’s display, saying: “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.”
Orsato was born in Montecchio Maggiore, Italy on November 23, 1975, and it is uncertain if he will fully hang up his whistle, or take up an administrative refereeing role possibly with UEFA, FIFA, or even the Italian Football Federation.
