BordoCam: Fiorentina v Inter – Inter’s protests: “It’s a handball, Colombo!”

Right from the start, Inter opened the scoring in the first minute with a goal from Pio Esposito. The move that led to the Nerazzurri’s lead began with a throw-in from Dumfries, the execution of which drew protests from Paolo Vanoli.

The Fiorentina manager immediately felt that the Dutch full-back had thrown the ball in whilst keeping his feet on the pitch, so much so that he shouted, “It’s in! It’s in, oh!” After Inter’s goal, Vanoli himself turned to referee Colombo, saying, “The throw-in was taken with his feet inside the pitch.”

DAZN footage then indeed showed that the tips of Dumfries’ toes were inside the pitch, but the rules only deem it a foul if they are entirely inside.

In the 7th minute, Inter found the net again thanks to a deflected shot from Barella, but the referee ruled it out for an initial offside. Kolarov, who had come on as a substitute for the suspended Chivu, turned to his bench after the goal was disallowed and asked,“Whose offside?”.

Barella and Pio Esposito asked the referee the same question (“But who?”), but as the footage later showed, it was the Nerazzurri midfielder himself who was beyond the opposition’s defensive line.

A minute later, following a cross from the left, Pongracic handled the ball in the Fiorentina penalty area. Barella turned to the referee and said, “That’s a handball, Colombo!”

A few moments later, Kolarov approaches the fourth official, who confirms that the incident has already been reviewed, before turning to Palombo on the bench and asking, “Was it a handball or not? Was it a handball or not?”

Due to a suspension, Cristian Chivu is watching the match from the stands at the Franchi. The manager communicates with Kolarov via Angelo Palombo, who is on the bench and in contact with Chivu’s dugout; every time, he gets up to go to the touchline and give instructions.

After a brilliant start, Inter beganto fade as the minutes ticked by, and Fiorentina took control of the game, creating a string of chances. Kolarov’s instruction to the players on the pitch was clear: “Put the pressure on! More pressure!”

After another missed chance by Kean, Kolarov consulted with his assistants on the bench, Palombo and Cecchi, to analyse the positions of Fiorentina’s midfielders: it was Zielinski who needed to apply the pressure. Moments later, Kolarov himself addressed Barella: “It’s Zielo who needs to go on Brescianini.”

Fiorentina were the side pushing forward with greater conviction at the start of the second half too. Palombo, on the bench, exchanged words with Chivu in the stands; the team had lost their shape, and Cecchi called out to Kolarov: “Koki, the strikers need to get back! They can’t – they mustn’t stop.”

Kolarov passes the message on to Marcus Thuram, but he also tells Dimarco, “Tell the midfield we need to get forward more.”

After Ndou’s equaliser, Frattesi threw his hands up in despair and Barella also made no secret of his frustration. Kolarov, having kicked a water bottle, gestured emphatically to urge his team to push forward and move higher up the pitch. Inter manage to create just one real chance in the 95th minute, but De Gea denies Esposito with a superb save before letting out a celebration.