Explained: Why referee denied Inter and Lautaro Martinez a penalty following VAR review as Milan breathe huge sigh of relief

Referee Jesus Gil Manzano overturned a penalty he had initially awarded to Inter as they led Milan 2-0 in the Champions League semi-final.

Lautaro Martinez went down in box

Referee booked Simon Kjaer for foul
But then went back on decision

WHAT HAPPENED? With Milan already 2-0 down and all at sea defensively, the evening looked set to take a turn for the worst when Manzano pointed to the penalty spot after Martinez was seemingly bundled to the floor following contact from Kjaer. But minutes later, the Dane was off the hook and the decision was reversed.

WHY WASN'T IT GIVEN? After awarding the spot-kick, the foul was checked by VAR who recommended an on-field review. Manzano headed over to the monitor and deemed that there had been a clear and obvious error, with minimal contact made on Martinez before he threw himself to the floor. The official then went back on both his decision to award a penalty and to book Kjaer.

IN A PHOTO:

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THE BIGGER PICTURE: Edin Dzeko scored a wicked volley after eight minutes to fire Inter ahead, before Henrikh Mkhitaryan capitalised on more poor defending from the Rossoneri to make it 2-0 shortly after. Milan were then dealt another blow as Ismael Bennacer was forced off with an injury, in a half they simply couldn't get a hold of.

WHAT NEXT?: The decision to overturn the penalty serves as a huge lifeline for Milan, with many presuming a 3-0 scoreline before half-time in the first leg of the semi-final would've been tie over.