Alexis Saelemaekers was the big hero for AC Milan as he scored a late equaliser in the 1-1 clash against Roma. However, it wasn’t the only situation in which he was one of the protagonists last night.
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In the 72nd minute, Roger Ibanez came flying into a challenge on Saelemaekers, who understandably went down in pain. Simon Kjaer immediately ran over and told the referee, Daniele Orsato, that it should be a red instead of a yellow card.
VAR never made the referee check the situation again, though, meaning the yellow card was confirmed. According to today’s edition of Gazzetta Dello Sport (via SempreMilan), the challenge was indeed worthy of a red card as Ibanez hit Saelemaekers high on his ankle.
#RomaMilan, al 70 brutto intervento di #Ibanez su #Saelemaekers (📸 DAZN): per #Orsato solo giallo (imprudenza), ma la tipologia di intervento e soprattutto la velocità di impatto con cui arriva il giocatore di #Mourinho sarebbe potuto costare il rosso per Grave Fallo di Gioco. pic.twitter.com/PuE06q1LjL
— Denis Errori Arbitrali (@erroriarbitrali) April 29, 2023
Di Paolo muto al Var pic.twitter.com/fUD8QnriLc
— FMCR (@FMCROfficial) April 29, 2023
VAR most likely felt it wasn’t an obvious error by Orsato, but one could argue that the referee should have taken another look. The pictures don’t do it justice either, since Ibanez came in at such a high speed. In short, it was very reckless and nasty.
