Italian sports paper hit out at Roma–Milan referee Fabio Maresca, especially for a penalty kick he didn’t award to the Giallorossi.
Milan beat Roma 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico last night, but the 40-year-old referee found himself in the middle of the storm, due to many controversial decisions.
The Rossoneri doubled their lead through a penalty kick earned by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who Roger Ibanez had fouled.
The former Atalanta defender collided with Ibrahimovic’s hip before touching the ball with his right foot. Maresca immediately awarded a spot-kick to Milan and confirmed his decision after an on-field review.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the penalty kick is legitimate, but VAR should have not called the referee because it was not a clear and obvious error.
However, according to Il Corriere dello Sport, Milan should have not been given a spot-kick, because Ibanez got on the ball with his tackle.
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Both papers agree that the Giallorossi a spot-kick for a Simon Kjaer foul on Lorenzo Pellegrini. La Gazzetta dello Sport compared the contact to Denzel Dumfries’ foul on Alex Sandro in Inter–Juventus last week.
Another mistake highlighted by Italian media is the second yellow card shown to Theo Hernandez.
Maresca should have stopped Roma’s attack earlier for a foul on Rade Krunic.