Not only the penalty denied to Leao among the episodes to be analyzed in the San Siro match: here is another in which the referee erred.
Moviola Milan-Parma, clamoroso errore di Abisso: “Manca un’espulsione” (Ansa Foto) – MilanLive.it
Milan defeated Parma not without difficulty on the final day of Serie A. Sergio Conceicao’s team had found itself down 2-1 when the final minutes of recovery started, but managed to turn it all around thanks to goals from Tijjani Reijnders and Samuel Chukwueze.
The victory consolidated the Rossoneri’s position in the fight for a Champions League spot, crucial for the club’s prestige and finances. The comeback demonstrated the character and resilience that the group knows how to have in certain moments, something that had already been glimpsed in the Italian Super Cup matches. The 3 points allow more confidence and serenity to the locker room, now focused on the next decisive challenge in the Champions League against Dinamo Zagreb. In Croatia, no mistake can be made on Wednesday night.
C’era rigore su Leao? Opinioni diverse
At 21′ of the first half of Parma-Milan there was a somewhat controversial episode in the Gialloblu area, where Hernani “hugged” Rafael Leao causing him to fall. The Rossoneri number 10 asked for a penalty kick, however, referee Abisso did not whistle anything. No indication for an on field review also came from the VAR room. The result was 0-0 and 3 minutes later Fabio Pecchia’s team scored.
C’era rigore su Leao? E manca un rosso al Parma (Ansa Foto) – MilanLive.it
Luca Marelli, former referee, made the following analysis to DAZN: “Hernani is only and exclusively concerned with blocking Leao. It is more of a tackle than a contrast. It would have been more correct to proceed with the on field review and the awarding of a penalty kick because this episode has nothing to do with the game of soccer. There cannot be such a tackle with the ball far away, it matters nothing that the ball was not in the area, what matters is the regularity of the contact between the players and in this case it is not regular. The VAR had to intervene, this is clear and obvious error that may even have completely escaped the referee. For me, Abisso did not see the contact at all.”
Maurizio Russo, a journalist and refereeing expert, has a different opinion and spoke to calciomercato.it about it: “Seeing the clash, it appears quite mild. Leao for me goes down too easily. You have to understand if the referee saw it, there was probably also a check. In any case, it is not a contact of such magnitude as to warrant a penalty kick. It would have been a penalty kick.”
No doubts, however, about the 1-1 penalty awarded for an obvious push by Suzuki on Strahinja Pavlovic: “Sometimes fans think that the goalkeeper in the small area can do a little what he wants,” explains Russo, “but Suzuki before hitting the ball with his fists gives a two-handed push on the back of Pavlovic, who without being pushed could have hit the ball. It’s a penalty.”
Also correct to draw the yellow card to Youssouf Fofana: “It is a cautionable foul, for two reasons: Fofana uses his arms, there is a restraint and therefore unsportsmanlike conduct; but more importantly there is a Parma restart, even if the player is in his own half of the field there could be a numerical superiority on the counter-attack and therefore a promising goal action. Right the yellow card.”
Delprato-Pavlovic: c’è un errore grave
Also to be analyzed is another incident regarding the recovery of the first half, when Delprato was cautioned for manata to Pavlovic and should have been sent off: “Sbraccia on Pavlovic’s face, negligent conduct, right to be cautioned for the foul. After committing this foul, he takes the ball in his hand, punches him, there is a gesture of reaction. If he saw, did Abisso caution him for the foul or for the reaction? The foul itself is reportable with a caution, the gesture of aggression is a separate thing and also to be punished with a caution.”
Russo explains that there is a definite rule: “For the past few years the rules have changed: before if you committed two caution offenses before play was stopped, they added up and you got only one yellow card. But now, if you commit two separate infractions as in this case, you have to be cautioned twice and then sent off for added cautions. This could have changed the outcome of the second half, Parma would have played ten against eleven.”
Right to talk about this situation, not properly highlighted. Milan certainly not helped by referee and VAR against Parma. In our opinion the penalty on Leao was there, then it is serious not to have ejected Delprato. Rossoneri unlucky several times during this season. It is not only the fault of others if the performance in the league is disappointing, let alone, but it is also fair to say that some situations have been unfavorable.
The article Moviola Milan-Parma, Abisso’s glaring error: ‘Missing an expulsion’ was written and published in its original version on Milanlive.it.
