Italian media have determined that the decision not to award Inter Milan an early handball penalty against Salernitana was the correct one.
Today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, also argue that Inter’s third goal being awarded was also the correct decision.
In the end, it did not make much difference whether or not Inter received an early penalty in yesterday’s match.
The Nerazzurri won the match by a 4-0 scoreline in the end. All four goals came from open play, and that scoreline hardly flatters the dominance of the home side.
Inter piled on the chances. There were 26 shots in total, ten of which were on target.
Therefore, it was of little consequence whether the Nerazzurri received an early penalty or not.
At the time, though, the match was still in the balance – at least on paper.
Inter knew full well that regardless of their dominance, or the gap in quality between the teams, they could not allow any opportunities to break the deadlock to evaporate.
So there were real appeals for a penalty early on in the match.
Correct Decision Not To Award Inter Penalty Vs Salernitana
The incident in question came during one of Inter’s early forays into the Salernitana penalty area.
There was a miscontrol by Nerazzurri captain Lautaro Martinez.
The ball wound up deflecting off the hand of Granata defender Triantafyllos Pasalidis.
There was no doubt that the ball hit a hand. That was the source of the Inter players’ appeals.
However, according to the Gazzetta, there was absolutely nothing that the Greek defender could have done about it. So no reason to award a penalty.
Meanwhile, the newspaper also confirm that Inter’s third goal was valid.
There was a check for a handball by Hakan Calhanoglu in the buildup to Denzel Dumfries’s strike.
But as the Gazzetta notes, the officials correctly determined that the ball had actually hit the Turk’s stomach.
