DAZN referee expert Luca Marelli has weighed in on the controversial refereeing calls that shaped Inter’s thrilling 3-2 comeback win over Napoli, concluding that the alleged Stanislav Lobotka handball cannot be established conclusively from the available footage.

Referee Simone Sozza found himself at the centre of several heated moments at San Siro during Saturday evening’s clash, which followed on from the build-up covered in Inter’s pre-match selection ahead of the Napoli fixture. Napoli’s Lobotka appeared to handle the ball during a challenge with Nicolò Barella inside the penalty box, with play allowed to continue without a VAR intervention. That non-call led directly to Matteo Politano’s opener for the visitors on the counter-attack, and Inter’s players were left furious by the decision.

The officiating remained under scrutiny late into the second half. In the 82nd minute, Marcus Thuram headed home Inter’s equaliser while Napoli defender Amir Rrahmani lay grounded directly in front of goalkeeper Alex Meret, with Sozza allowing the goal to stand.

Marelli’s verdict on the handball claim

Reviewing the incident on DAZN, with quotes via Sportal, Marelli said there were many doubts surrounding the incident, adding that it was impossible to say for certain whether there was contact even though Lobotka’s arm was extended. Looking at all the available footage, he stressed, one simply cannot determine whether the ball made contact with the hand or not.

On the Thuram goal, Sozza appeared to judge that Rrahmani had gone down too softly rather than as the result of a foul by an opposition player. The decision therefore stood as Inter’s equaliser.

Chivu’s side complete the turnaround

Despite the controversy, Cristian Chivu’s side overturned the two-goal deficit thanks to a late double from captain Lautaro Martínez, sealing a dramatic three points in stoppage time – the kind of late-match chaos Chivu had already flagged as a concern following his warning after the Cagliari fixture. Marelli’s breakdown leaves both incidents as genuinely disputed calls rather than confirmed errors, with the available footage stopping short of proving either decision was wrong.