Experts agree Pavlovic’s handball wasn’t a penalty but referee made the wrong call

The dying minutes of Milan-Lazio ended up being rather controversial, as VAR instructed the referee to assess a potential penalty for the away side, only for a foul to be awarded instead. 

It was a rather dull game for most of the evening, it has to be said, with both sides struggling to create chances. Furthermore, there was a plethora of technical errors, which only fueled the frustration among the fans. Having said that, a Rafael Leao goal was all that Milan needed.

The No.10 found the back of the net in the 52nd minute after a nice attack by the Rossoneri, and they did well afterwards to defend their lead. However, it could have ended in disaster, as VAR instructed the referee to take a look at a potential handball on Strahinja Pavlovic.

Right call, wrong execution

After a lengthy VAR check, which was also delayed by Massimiliano Allegri’s sending off, the referee got back on the pitch to make the announcement. While he stated that Pavlovic’s handball was punishable, he also said that there was a foul on him just before, awarding a free-kick.

It’s a situation that upset Lazio, resulting in them boycotting the media after the game, and the verdict was certainly delivered in a dramatic fashion, with the Biancocelesti initially celebrating. So, did the referee make the right call?

The refereeing experts Luca Marelli of DAZN and Denis of Errori Arbitrali both agree that it shouldn’t have been a penalty for the handball. Furthermore, it shouldn’t have been a free-kick for Milan either, as Adam Marusic didn’t commit a foul. Right outcome, as such, but the wrong execution.

“Collu made the right decision with the wrong approach. Pavlovic and Marusic held each other back, so for me it wasn’t a foul. Just as it wasn’t a handball by Pavlovic, who had his back turned and was close to Romagnoli.

Photo by Errori Arbitrali

“Furthermore, his arm was in a natural position and wasn’t moving towards the ball. If Romagnoli had scored, VAR wouldn’t have intervened to disallow the goal for Marusic’s alleged foul on Pavlovic,” Marellu stated via Calciomercato.com.

“My opinion? It wasn’t an attacking foul, but it wasn’t a punishable handball either: close-range shot, player almost with his back turned, marking, without making a movement towards the ball.

“The ‘where would the ball have gone without that touch’ aspect only comes into play when judging any disciplinary sanctions (i.e. potential cards). I would have simply let it go and resumed with the corner kick in favour of Lazio,” Denis wrote.