“Open VAR” Breaks Down Two Key Decisions In Inter Milan Serie A Win Vs Napoli

“Open VAR” has broken down two of they key refereeing decisions to take place in Inter Milan’s Serie A win over Napoli.

The program on Italian broadcaster DAZN, via FCInterNews, has given a window into the refereeing decisions regarding a prospective Lautaro Martinez foul on Stanislav Lobtoka, and a second half Napoli penalty appeal.

Inter beat Napoli 3-0 in Serie A earlier this month.

From the perspective of Partenopei players and fans, however, it was not a match without controversy.

There were two key flashpoints in particular.

The first took place in the buildup to Inter’s opening goal.

Prior to Hakan Calhanoglu scoring for the Nerazzurri with a long-range effort towards the end of the first half, there had been a coming-together in midfield.

Inter captain Martinez and Napoli midfielder Lobotka came together in a clumsy fashion.

The Partneopei players asked for referee Davide Massa to consider the action as a foul.

This would give potential reason for the VAR to disallow the goal.

But as the Open VAR program reveals, Massa, VAR Valerio Marini, and assistant VAR Maurizio Mariani all saw the incident and decided that there was no foul.

That was how all three saw it in real time. And the two VAR officials told Massa that it was not a foul after looking back at it in reviewing the goal.

Why VAR Didn’t Give A Penalty To Osimhen In Inter Vs Napoli Clash

The other major incident from a refereeing perspective took place when Napoli striker Victor Osimhen appealed for a penalty.

The Nigerian had felt contact from Inter defender Francesco Acerbi on his heel.

And considering that Osimhen was inside the Nerazzurri penalty area, the striker felt that it was worthy of a penalty.

But Massa did not point to the spot. From the referee’s vantage, there was not enough in it to be a penalty.

And as Open VAR reveals, Marini and Mariani reviewed the incident from multiple angles.

As soon as the penalty appeal took place, the VAR officials started reviewing it. They also looked at video at different speeds to assess the contact.

And, crucially, they also made a judgment on the force of the contact using normal speed.

And the two VAR officials spoke with Massa. They told him that his original decision not to award a penalty was correct, and to go on with the match.