📺 VAR row: papers vs La Penna, CBS back Chivu 😨 | OneFootball

What a night it was at San Siro! Goals, emotions, red cards, and so much controversy. Inter wins the Derby d’Italia 3-2, moves back to +8 over Milan, and returns to claiming 3 points in a big match.

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Juve, however, leaves the field with heads held high, playing with ten men for more than half the match but never giving up. In fact, in the 85th minute, they even found the strength to equalize with a goal from Locatelli, only to collapse after Zielinski’s gem.

At the end of the match, though, the spotlight turned to the mixed zone. There, the Bianconeri chose not to send Spalletti, as a protest against the decisions of referee La Penna, instead presenting CEO Comolli and Giorgio Chiellini: "Embarrassing, hard to talk about football. A match watched by the whole world was ruined." That, in short, was their opinion.

The comment from Chivu was different, as he wanted to point out that, in reality, Kalulu did indeed commit a foul: "For me, it’s a light touch, but it’s a touch. When I suffered minor injustices, I taught my players to not put the referee in a difficult position. It’s his decision." 

📰 Newspapers in agreement

The press review seems to side more with the Bianconeri management than with the Nerazzurri coach.

La Gazzetta dello Sport, with today’s headline "Inter Escapes, Juve Fury", gives a 4 to La Penna’s performance: "The Kalulu-Bastoni incident sets a precedent: but let’s introduce VAR as soon as possible for such an absurd second yellow card".

Corriere dello Sport, on the other hand, is even more decisive, opening its edition with a photo of La Penna on the front page, accompanied by the words "The Damage".

The grade given by Corriere is a 4.5: "The second yellow for Kalulu was wrong: Bastoni gets there first, Kalulu tries to stop him by extending his left arm onto his body. But more than that, it’s the Nerazzurro who causes Bastoni’s fall by planting his feet (especially his left) and falling forward. If it had been a real hold, he would have fallen sideways or backward. We’re at the edge of simulation, and Bastoni was already booked... The first yellow is understandable but not outrageous: late on Barella who had beaten him to the ball".

Tuttosport is also aligned, opening with an ironic "Easy, like this".

"Barely touched, Bastoni simulates a non-existent foul and then celebrates boorishly at the second yellow shown by the inadequate La Penna".

🌎 CBS Sports takes a different view

The common thread of the post-match was how such an incident should have been avoided, especially since yesterday, at the Meazza, the eyes of the world were on us. Well, according to CBS Sports, there are those who see things differently.

The American broadcaster, in fact, provided an explanation that seems to support Chivu’s statements:

"In the end, Kalulu forces the referee to make that decision. La Penna isn’t perfectly positioned, everything is difficult and it makes you think that Kalulu could never have been in the right. We have time and 4/5 cameras, the referee doesn’t. In the moment, it seems like a yellow card, so you have to ask why VAR intervenes and forces the referee’s decision, not whether it’s a yellow or not."

Whatever your opinion, it wasn’t a good advertisement for Serie A. Bastoni’s celebration was certainly not an example of fair play, nor were the vehement—and exaggerated—protests from Comolli at halftime, with the Juve CEO held back by three staff members, including Spalletti, and one step away from attacking referee La Penna.

This too, especially this, was Inter-Juventus. And it’s a shame that no one will remember Di Gregorio’s error, Inter’s two shots off the post, an excellent Juve, and the five goals that—those, at least—gave us real entertainment.

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

📸 PIERO CRUCIATTI - AFP or licensors