Alvaro Morata thought he had won Milan a penalty during their Serie A opener against Torino on Saturday, but replays show that VAR made the right decision in asking referee Fabio Maresca to review his on-field decision.
The incident occurred minutes after the Spaniard came on for his Rossoneri league debut in the second half of Milan’s 2-2 draw with Torino. The Spain national team captain looked to get a shot away from the corner of the six-yard box, but was met with a strong intervention from Torino debutant Saul Coco.
Though Marseca had initially pointed to the spot, replays showed that Coco had timed his tackle to perfection. Slowed down, the footage showed that he had just nicked the ball away from Morata’s foot before making contact with the player.
The incident has drawn comparisons to a controversial penalty awarded to Inter midfielder Nicolo Barella during a 2-0 win over Genoa in the same stadium last season. Coincidentally, the penalty shouts happened in the exact same position on the pitch.
In that instance, the referee stood by his on-field decision to award a penalty, even after a lengthy VAR check.
The general consensus from media outlets in Italy is that the referees made the correct decision not to award a penalty to Morata on Saturday, but were incorrect in their decision to give a penalty to Barella back in March.
