The season’s first serious meeting at the top of Serie A brought a demanding afternoon for referee Davide Massa, who handled the contest with enough authority to emerge with a positive assessment. There were a few delayed or missed fouls, including the incident that eventually led to Koulierakis being booked, but none altered the direction of the match.
In the championship
Massa showed six yellow cards from 20 fouls awarded. The booking that drew the closest scrutiny came shortly before half-time, when Akanji challenged Malen. The tackle initially appeared close to a dismissal, but was judged reckless rather than worthy of a red card.
Inter appealed, without great conviction, when Lautaro headed the ball towards Dybala and claimed it had struck the Roma player’s right arm. Replays showed the ball made contact with Dybala’s shoulder, making the decision to continue correct.
Another penalty debate involved Thuram, who went down after Balerdi made contact from behind. Thuram did not make a serious appeal and the challenge was considered part of normal play.
The decisive VAR correction
The key intervention concerned Koné’s second goal. On Dybala’s delivery, Mancini touched the ball with his right leg and Koné was behind the ball at that moment. Assistant referee Berti initially raised his flag after a brief discussion with Massa, but the call was wrong.
VAR official Paolo Mazzoleni reviewed the phase from Lissone and overturned the offside decision, allowing the goal to stand. The intervention confirmed the 2-0 scoreline.
There was also a notable presence in the stands, where former referee Daniele Orsato watched alongside deputy technical official Giallatini. Their attendance underlined the attention placed on an early championship match with Scudetto significance.
