Inter’s comprehensive Serie A victory over Benevento yesterday was hampered somewhat by a disappointing performance from referee Fabrizio Pasqua, Italian media claim.
In the absence of suspended coach Antonio Conte, the Nerazzurri claimed a comfortable win at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, with Lautaro Martinez and a Romelu Lukaku brace following up Riccardo Improta’s early own goal.
Despite the victory, one of the main talking points was a series of questionable decisions by Pasqua, according to today’s newspaper edition of Corriere dello Sport.
“An easy match in the end, that Pasqua on the pitch and [Gianpaolo] Calvarese in the VAR booth tried to make complicated. Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt, but the challenges on [Gianluca] Lapadula and Martinez seemed like penalties,” the newspaper opined.
It is suggested that an early push on Lapadula by centre-back Andrea Ranocchia ought to have been awarded as a penalty, but play was waved on instead.
At the other end, Corriere dello Sport also believed that Inter ought to have been awarded a spot kick after Martinez was clipped on the edge of the box by Luca Caldirola. Whilst a freekick was given, replays suggested that the initial tackle may have happened inside the area.