AIA backs VAR calls in Atalanta 1-0 Roma after disputes over Scalvini winner and Scamacca offside | OneFootball

The Italian Referees Association backed the two key calls from Atalanta’s 1-0 win over Roma, after protests from both sides.

The match in Bergamo saw Gianluca Scamacca have a goal ruled out for offside earlier in the move, before Giorgio Scalvini’s header settled it amid claims of handball and a foul on the goalkeeper.

“We must congratulate the VAR Maresca and his AVAR Di Paolo,” said former international referee Andrea De Marco on DAZN Italia’s Open VAR.

“There were two aspects to evaluate with the Scalvini goal, the first is if he had handled the ball, and the video shows no evidence of this. Then there is the issue of contact with the goalkeeper. The Atalanta player gets the ball first, then in the process of the movement, the goalkeeper is off balance and bumps into him. Because of all this, the decision to allow the goal was the correct one.”

Some argued a poor first touch by a Roma player should have made the earlier offside irrelevant, but De Marco disagreed. “Scamacca is clearly offside when he intervenes to challenge for the ball with the defender, so the decision to disallow the goal is correct.”

Source: Football Italia