An incident that is sure to keep the debate going.
Fiorentina v Inter ended 1-1, but Pongracic’s handball sparked fierce protests from all the Nerazzurri players on the pitch during the match, who were demanding a penalty in their favour. The sequence of events was as follows: a cross came in from the right by Dumfries, which neither Pio Esposito nor Ranieri could reach; subsequently, the ball went past and was touched by Pongracic’s arm.
Referee Colombo decided to let play continue, and ultimately, the VAR did not intervene to review the incident or call the referee for an on-field review.
And so, in the post-match analysis, Luca Marelli, a former referee and refereeing expert, joined the DAZN programme Fuoriclasse via video link, commenting on Pongracic’s possible handball during the first half of Fiorentina v Inter: “In the seventh minute, there’s a cross and Pongracic touches the ball with his right hand: his arm remains still throughout and is in a natural position. Then Ranieri and Esposito in front of him miss the ball, making it unexpected; and then the touch occurs with the arm never moving. They judged this arm action not to be punishable, and for me that is the correct decision because there are no grounds for a penalty.”
CESARI AND BERGONZI: "IT WAS A PENALTY FOR INTER"