Torino v Napoli VAR: Simeone goal, missed pen, Lang’s late VAR drama | OneFootball

The match between Torino and Napoli, won 1–0 by the Granata thanks to a goal from former player Giovanni Simeone, leaves behind a long trail of refereeing controversies. The encounter, officiated by Genoa-born Matteo Marcenaro, was analyzed in detail by Dazn expert Luca Marelli, who commented on the key incidents, clarifying the most controversial points of a match full of borderline situations, as reported by Virgilio in its sports section.

Torino-Napoli, the VAR review: all the disputed incidents. Doubts over Simeone’s goal, the denied penalty, and Lang’s disallowed goal in the 94th minute

In his fifth season in Serie A and recently promoted to international status, Matteo Marcenaro is considered a referee with a decisive character and a tendency to engage in dialogue with players. In Torino–Napoli he was assisted by linesmen Scatragli and Ceccon, with Tremolada as fourth official, while Doveri was at the VAR and Maggioni at the AVAR.

During the match, Marcenaro handed out three yellow cards, to Juan Jesus, Israel, and Noa Lang, the latter booked after his goal was disallowed for offside in the 94th minute.

The key incidents of the match

The first VAR incident came in the 10th minute, with Juan Jesus booked for an alleged foul on Casadei: a questionable intervention, but deemed irregular by the referee. In the 15th minute Napoli called for a card for Pedersen, who fouled Lucca; Marcenaro awarded the free kick but did not sanction the Torino player.

In the 19th minute, Torino protested for a fall by Casadei in the box: slight contact, but not enough for a penalty. The most debated incident, however, came in the 32nd minute, when a deflection off Gilmour set Simeone free, who appeared to be in an offside position as he broke towards goal, beat Milinkovic-Savic, and scored the decisive goal.

In the second half, in the 47th minute, Israel was booked for time-wasting. In the 73rd minute, Napoli appealed for a penalty for contact between Beukema and Israel, but the referee waved play on. Finally, in stoppage time, in the 93rd minute, Noa Lang scored from a Politano assist, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR check for a marginal offside.

Marelli’s VAR review: “Correct decision on Simeone’s goal, but Napoli can have regrets”

The most anticipated analysis came from Luca Marelli, who explained the most controversial incidents in detail on Dazn. On the first incident, the former referee clarified: “It was right not to book Pedersen in the 15th minute, because Lucca was in a static position and the action did not represent a clear goal-scoring opportunity.”

On Torino’s opening goal, Marelli explained: “At the moment of Adams’ last touch, Simeone is indeed beyond the defensive line, but the back pass from the Napoli player is interpreted as a ‘play’ and not as a deflection: in this case, offside does not apply. Therefore, the decision is correct.”

Regarding the penalty claimed by the Azzurri, the expert was clear: “There was contact between Beukema and Israel, but it’s not a penalty. The goalkeeper touches the ball before making contact with the opponent.”

Finally, on Lang’s disallowed goal, Marelli confirmed the correctness of the referee’s decision: “Noa Lang is in an offside position at the moment of Politano’s pass. The goal must be disallowed according to the rules.”

A fair match but full of tension

Overall, Marcenaro’s officiating was judged positively, despite a few incidents that left room for interpretation. The match, very intense in terms of competitiveness, ended with three bookings and a Napoli side left bitter about missed chances and unfavorable refereeing decisions.

Marco Baroni’s Torino thus takes three valuable points, while Conte’s Napoli must now focus on their next Champions League fixture against PSV Eindhoven, looking to regain confidence and consistency.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.