🙄Pavlovic-Marusic: Was that a handball penalty? VAR under fire, the replay📺

A superb Maignan and a goal from Rafa Leao. One goal was enough for Massimiliano Allegri’s Milan to beat Lazio at San Siro and soar to the top of the standings, awaiting tonight’s Roma-Napoli match. However, what is sparking debate is the fiery ending, particularly the penalty requested by Lazio but not granted by referee Collu for Pavlovic’s handball in the penalty area in the 95th minute.

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An incident that unleashed the fury of Massimiliano Allegri and triggered the scuffle that led to the expulsion of the Rossoneri coach and Sarri’s assistant, Marco Ianni.

🫣 Marusic-Pavlovic and the handball

Lazio’s protests erupted after Pavlovic’s arm touched the ball in the penalty area, blocking Romagnoli’s attempt on goal. Collu initially let play continue, but was then called to the OFR by VAR—after a lengthy check.

The referee delayed the review due to prolonged protests and the scuffle on the sidelines between the benches. This, among other things, led to the expulsion of Max Allegri and the near brawl with Marco Ianni, Lazio’s technical assistant, who was also sent off.

📺 The analysis by former referees and the press

Live on DAZN, Luca Marelli analyzed the incident: “Pavlovic’s action is never a penalty for three reasons: the extreme closeness of the players, because the arm does not move toward the ball, and because Pavlovic has his back turned. There are no grounds for awarding a penalty.”

Then Gianpaolo Calvarese on X:

"Collu and Di Paolo make life difficult for themselves. There’s no foul by #Marusic on Pavlovic, and the Serb does not commit a handball. Review is convoluted and technically wrong." La Gazzetta dello Sport shares the same opinion, commenting: "The ball kicked by Romagnoli from close range hits the outstretched elbow (but without extra movement) of the Milan player. VAR intervenes (a check would have sufficed): the arm outside the silhouette is defined as the ‘offspring’ of the Lazio player’s foul. Not a penalty, in any case."

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.