Juventus’s goal against Inter in yesterday evening’s Serie A match was allowed to stand due to the fact that, despite the apparent handball by midfielder Adrien in the buildup, the VAR determined that there was no reason to overturn the on-pitch decision.

This according to today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, who explain that the lengthy VAR check was to determine not just whether or not there was a touch on the ball with the Bianconeri player’s arm but also whether it was considered to be a deliberate motion.

It took nearly four minutes for the VAR to make a final decision on whether or not Juventus’s goal against Inter would stand, as the officials evidently wanted to see the potential handball in the buildup from every possible angle before making their decision.

This only ratcheted up the tension, and led to Inter players and coaches being upset, to put it mildly, something which continued in coach Simone Inzaghi’s postmatch remarks.

What is not in question is that there was contact on the ball by Rabiot’s arm in the buildup to Filip Kostic’s goal for Juventus, but as the Gazzetta explains, this is not all that the VAR was looking for.

It would have taken only a few seconds to see the contact on the ball by the Frenchman, but the reason for the long delay during the check was that the VAR was evidently trying to arrive at a decision on whether or not the attacking player was deliberately gaining control of the ball.

In the end, the officials decided that there was not enough of a clear reason to disallow the goal given that on-pitch referee Daniele Chiffi had seen no reason not to award it in the first place, but only after a lengthy deliberation.