“Excessive” – Marelli insists Juventus only deserved on penalty against Udinese | OneFootball

Former Serie A referee Luca Marelli believes only one of the two penalties awarded to Juventus against Udinese was legitimate.

The Bianconeri finally returned to winning ways after 46 days and eight failed attempts. Massimo Brambilla replaced the sacked Igor Tudor while waiting for the imminent arrival of Luciano Spalletti.

The Juventus Next Gen boss marked the special occasion by guiding the senior team towards a timely 3-1 victory over the Zebrette.

Luca Marelli only agrees with one Juventus spot-kick against Udinese

Dusan Vlahovic won and converted a spot-kick early on, while Kenan Yildiz did likewise at the end of the contest.

(Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Marelli, who is considered one of the most reputable refereeing experts in Italy, agreed with Marco Di Bello’s decision to award Juventus a penalty when Saba Goglichidze pulled Vlahovic’s shirt inside the box.

“There were two holds, one by Vlahovic and one by Goglichidze,” noted the retired referee in his post-match appearance on DAZN via IlBianconero.

“However, Vlahovic clearly had the upper hand. The severity of the Serbian’s hold is much less evident than that of the Udinese defender.”

On the contrary, Marelli felt that Yildiz’s last-gasp penalty was too soft.

Marelli thinks Kenan Yildiz shouldn’t have been awarded a penalty

Di Bello had initially signalled a foul on Yildiz in favour of Goglichidze before making the opposite decision following an on-field review. Nevertheless, Marelli insists that both calls were incorrect.

“Di Bello had mistakenly called an attacking foul that wasn’t there, but the contact between Yildiz and Goglichidze was very, very light. So light that we’re looking at an incident that shouldn’t have led to a penalty.

“Goglichidze’s left foot hit the outside of Yildiz’s right foot. Light contact: calling the referee to award a penalty is excessive; the decision should have been left on the field, even if it was incorrect.”

A few days ago, Marelli reckoned that the referee and the VAR had committed a blunder by failing to spot Mario Gila’s foul on Francisco Conceicao inside the box during the contest between Lazio and Juventus.