Rarely, after the game, Barca and Napoli complained about the referee Kovac, Pique complained that Napoli had been offside before scoring, and Spalletti thought that barca's penalty was "non-existent". So, are the two key penalties made by the referee correct?
First, let's take a look at Napoli's goal. After Ermas burst into the box, he crossed and Zelinski scored two consecutive shots into the Barca goal.
In fact, the video assistant referee stepped in to award the penalty, but ultimately decided that the goal was valid. The controversy over the penalty was that when Di Lorenzo tried to pass the ball to Osmayn, Garcia's header was cleared, but Napoli broke the ball again to organize the attack and eventually scored.
Pique complained after the game, "It was clear on the pitch because Eric blocked the opponent's pass so that the player in the offside position did not get the ball." The offside rules are confusing, with their goals clearly offside. ”
In fact, this is not the first time that Garcia has encountered similar controversy. In the UEFA Nations League final in October 2021, Te O'Connected, Garcia fell to the ground to tackle the ball without touching the ball, and Mbappe, who was in an offside position, scored the winning goal. The Daily Sport even described the final and this goal as "unfair".
Barca's penalty was less controversial than the controversial penalty in the UEFA Final, as the opponent's pass did not directly result in the goal, which may be the key to the video assistant referee's final confirmation that the goal was valid.
Looking at the penalty barca got, Traore crossed inside the penalty area and the ball hit Jesus' hand. After looking back at the slow motion, the referee awarded a penalty.
Spalletti was upset after the game, "Honestly, Barca should have equalised. However, penalties do not exist. The ball hit his fingertips, but the ball didn't change direction, the trajectory was natural, and the ball went where it was supposed to go. ”
Legendary defender Ferrara also said, "As a defender, I can only say that modern defenders have become difficult. For defenders, the pitch became hell. ”
In slow motion, the ball did hit Jesus' hand, and Jesus' left hand was clearly not close to his body, which was why the referee finally awarded a penalty. Marca noted, "Under the current rules, it was a very clear penalty because his hand was in an unnatural position. ”
In fact, there is another controversy in this game. At the beginning of the second half, Insigne crossed from the left and Osmayne fell to the ground under Garcia's tugging, but the referee did not award a penalty. Former La Liga referee Itulard analyzed, "VAR will not intervene in the decision because Osmayne will certainly not be able to get the ball. However, this is indeed a foul move. ”