Empoli coach Davide Nicola feels that his team were hard done by with the non-use of VAR on Inter Milan’s opening goal.
Nicola spoke to Italian broadcaster DAZN, via FCInterNews, after the 2-0 Nerazzurri win in Serie A.
It was Federico Dimarco who scored Inter’s opener just a few minutes into their Serie A match against Empoli this evening.
The 26-year-old’s goal suggested that it would be a long evening for the Tuscans.
However, to their credit. Empoli found their rhythm in the match. The relegation-battlers were able to restrict Inter from creating too many chances after an early flurry that had led to Dimarco’s goal.
And this perhaps made it all the more difficult for Empoli to live with that goal.
There was certainly nothing wrong with Dimarco’s strike. It was a sweeping first-time finish from an onside position.
But there had been a strong hint of offside from Inter striker Marcus Thuram in the buildup.
The Frenchman latched onto a long ball from what looked to be a potentially offside position.
Davide Nicola: “Don’t Agree” With Non-Use Of VAR In Inter Opener Vs Empoli
The VAR did review the goal, as it does all goals in Serie A.
However, there was no intervention regarding Thuram’s position.
This was not necessarily because the Inter striker was in an offside position. Rather, it was because, after Thuram had touched the ball, Empoli defender Bartosz Bereszynski had cleared it.
Therefore, it was determined that a new phase of play had started.
Inter immediately restarted the attack and then scored.
“If the intervention had been that one of my players was keeping the player from being offside, ok,” said Empoli coach Nicola.
“But on the long ball, based on the position, it’s not a good goal,” he argued.
“It was enough to warrant giving offside.”
“I don’t agree with this type of dynamic,” Nicola argued. “But we accept it, as always.”