La Gazzetta dello Sport have stressed some doubts about the officiating that took place during last night’s game between AC Milan and Rennes in France.
Milan were probably hoping for a bit of a quieter night given that they came into the game with a 3-0 lead from the first leg, but a hat-trick from Benjamin Bourigeaud meant that Rennes really put up a fight.
However, the 3-2 scoreline perhaps suggests more drama than there actually was given that Milan equalised twice not long after going behind, which meant that the Ligue 1 side were never that close to completing the comeback.
This morning’s edition of La Gazzetta (seen below) takes stock of the officiating performance from Pinheiro and also the VAR team.
On Rennes’ first penalty, the paper states that there is some doubt about the intensity of the blow Terrier received from Kjaer in the seventh minute of the second half.
The striker backed in to receive the ball, Kjaer tried to get there first and was adjudged to have made contact with the back of his knee. VAR has no jurisdiction in this case, because the on-field call determined there had been contact which could only be confirmed.
Rennes got a second penalty when Pinheiro was called over to the monitor to review a Jovic hand ball which blocked Kalimuendo’s header. VAR suggested his arm was not in a natural shape but it was from very close range, though the referee saw the replay and gave it.
Pinheiro was given a rating of 5.5 out of 10 for his performance on the night, mainly because of the doubt about the first penalty awarded.
