Italian sports papers claim Romelu Lukaku deserved a straight red card for a horror tackle in Roma–Fiorentina although Antonio Rapuano’s officiating wasn’t entirely convincing.
Roma were held to a 1-1 draw by Fiorentina at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday but were reduced to nine men in the second half following red cards to Nicola Zalewski and Lukaku.
The Poland international received a second yellow card at minute 64, while Lukaku was sent off at minute 87, receiving a straight red.
La Gazzetta dello Sport and Il Corriere dello Sport claim the second yellow card for Zalewski was debatable even if, according to Gazzetta, the Roma winger was ‘naive’ as he had already received a yellow card in the first half.
As for Lukaku, both papers agree that the red card for the Belgian was ‘deserved.’ However, Il Corriere dello Sport journalist Edmondo Pinna noted that Rapuano’s decision was ‘incoherent’ as the 38-year-old referee had adopted a lighter approach for previous fouls which hadn’t even been punished with a yellow card.
Rapuano’s officiating was not entirely convincing, according to Italian sports. Gazzetta and Tuttosport rated the 38-year-old from Rimini 5.5/10, while CorSport was harsher with 5/10.