Penalty for Lazio? No, the Var rewinds the tape and … penalty Napoli

From a possible penalty for a foul by Hysaj on Lazzari to the penalty for Milinkovic’s intervention on Manolas

Marco Guidi-Edoardo Lusena

April 23
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Napoli-Lazio: not even five minutes of play pass at Maradona for the first big case from slow motion. On the development of a corner for Napoli, Lazio manages to escape with the ball towards the area defended by Meret. Lazzari chased by Hysaj is alone in front of the opposing goalkeeper, but a hand of the blue defender seems to throw him off balance causing him to fall. The Apulian referee Di Bello evaluates the intensity of the touch from the field and seems to have nothing to complain about – but the elements for a penalty and also for a red for the clear scoring opportunity could be there. Instead it is the Var Irrati to have its say.

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In the images of the action that precedes the goal, in fact, the Pistoiese sees that – in the Lazio area, on the corner from which it all began – there is a foul not seen by the referee. Milinkovic, in fact, with his leg very high in the center of the area, goes to touch the ball, but immediately afterwards he ends up with the cleats of Manolas looking for the ball. There is no voluntariness, but the Serbian’s play is more than enough for the yellow and for the penalty kick assigned to Napoli after seeing the frames from multiple angles on the monitor. In short, from a potential penalty for Lazio we passed to a penalty for Napoli in the blink of an eye: a reversal of the front that can strike for the suddenness perhaps, but which does not see errors in the application of the Var protocol or in the conclusion to which the Apulian whistle reaches. It is certainly not the first time that with the Var a situation is reversed in a few moments. In November 2019 in Slavia Prague-Inter (in the Champions League), they went from 0-2 to 1-1 with the goal canceled by Lukaku on the penalty for the opponents. Again: in February 2019 Spal-Fiorentina saw Valoti cancel a goal to give the Viola a penalty. In the pre-Var era, then, there were thousands of cases in which history might have changed in a few moments if there had been technology. The rest of yesterday’s game is a goal pinball machine but with few other episodes to put under the lens. Ok do not give rigor to photocopy contacts at 39 ‘and 42’ (Politano-Immobile and Marusic-Di Lorenzo). The withholding complained of by Luis Alberto by Di Lorenzo is less clear: it does not seem so decisive, but the drawn shirt is undeniable.

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Roma-Atalanta

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Not an easy match, especially in the second half for Calvarese. The match, dominated by Atalanta until then, changes in the 69th minute, when the referee expels Gosens for a double yellow card. Bravo Calvarese on the first yellow: imprudent intervention on Karsdorp, norm of the advantage and card shown to the German at the first interruption. There is also a second admonition for Gosens: he stomped hard in Veretout, arriving late. Roma also finished with ten men, for the two yellow cards taken by Ibanez in the recovery: the first for an impetuous entry from behind on Muriel, the second for a foul that stopped Freuler’s potentially dangerous action at 20 meters. Also corrected the warnings to Calafiori and Villar, in the rest of the match. Small inaccuracies here and there: at 20 ‘reversed lineout (it was for Atalanta’s Maehle, it is given by the Roma assistant), at 40’ a foul by Zapata on Mkhitaryan is not punished, 89 ‘granted a corner to the Giallorossi which is not there. Shy protests for interventions in the area, but there is never a penalty of Maehle on Mkhitaryan and Djimsiti on Pellegrini.

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