Inter defender Milan Skriniar’s challenge on Olivier Giroud in the penalty area in the second half of the Nerazzurri’s Coppa Italia clash with AC Milan was a “borderline penalty incident” in the view of Italian media.

This according to today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, who assess the incident to have been very close to a clear penalty and suggest that it was not given because of the striker’s theatrical fall to the ground.

Skriniar had his arms around the midriff of Giroud and looked to have clearly unbalanced the striker if not outright wrestled him to the ground.

Neither the referee nor the VAR saw enough in the incident to point to the spot, but in the view of the Gazzetta, there was enough in it that a penalty would have been a reasonable decision.

Meanwhile, the newspaper describe the challenge by Lautaro Martinez on Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan which saw the striker’s studs make contact with the goalkeeper as a “dark orange” challenge that came close to a straight sending off.