Yardbarker
x

The referee had to make the decision himself when revoking a Juventus penalty in the Coppa Italia semi-final against Lazio for offside.

The incident occurred in the opening minutes of the first leg tie at the Allianz Juventus Stadium.

You can follow all the action as it happens from that game on the Liveblog.

Matias Vecino went to kick a loose ball clear inside the box, unaware that Andrea Cambiaso was sneaking up behind him, so instead kicked the player.

Referee Davide Massa pointed to the spot straight away, but was called to the monitor for an On-Field Review by his VAR team in the booth.

It was eventually revoked due to Cambiaso’s offside position, but the decision had to be made by the referee and not the VAR.

This is because it was not entirely clear-cut, as Cambiaso was offside on the Dusan Vlahovic header, then it struck Lazio defender Patric on the head before Vecino went to clear.

The referee had to evaluate whether Patric had actively tried to play the ball or if it had simply struck him.

If it had been an attempt to play the ball, then Cambiaso would’ve been brought back onside.

The VAR can only disallow a goal or penalty for offside if it is an objective situation, whereas this was very much subjective.

This article first appeared on Football Italia and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.