Why Arnautovic stunner in Inter 2-0 Lazio should have been ruled out | OneFootball

Marko Arnautovic scored a stunning volley to give Inter a 1-0 lead in their eventual 2-0 victory over Lazio in the Coppa Italia quarter-final on Tuesday evening, but there were two separate incidents which meant that the goal should not have stood.

Inter qualified for the semi-final of the Coppa Italia with a 2-0 win against Lazio at home in San Siro – Arnautovic and a Hakan Calhanoglu penalty sent the Nerazzurri on their way. Simone Inzaghi’s side have set up a two-legged semi-final with rivals Milan in April as a result.

It was a memorable strike from Arnautovic, arguably one of the goals of the tournament. Federico Dimarco’s corner was headed half clear, and the Austrian was on hand to slam it in from the edge of the area on the full volley.

However, there were two separate reasons why the goal technically should not have stood.

MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 25: Marko Arnautovic of FC Internazionale celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with teammates during the Coppa Italia Quarter Final match between FC Internazionale and SS Lazio at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on February 25, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Why Arnautovic goal in Inter 2-0 Lazio should not have stood

Denzel Dumfries was holding Nicolo Rovella on the edge of the area following Dimarco’s corner, just before Arnautovic made contact with his volley, which could have resulted in a Biancocelesti free-kick.

Secondly, and slightly more importantly, Stefan De Vrij was stood in an offside position when Arnautovic struck, and was stood in a position that obstructed the sight of goalkeeper Christos Mandas, which should have resulted in a free-kick for Lazio.

Corriere dello Sport called the officiating a “disaster” on the front page of Wednesday morning’s paper, and also claimed it was a “serious oversight” from the referees to miss the two incidents, but said that it was “even more serious” that VAR did not intervene.