Serie A’s sixth round has been shaped as much by the margins as by the scorelines: an offside measured to the smallest distance, penalties reassessed, missed cautions and one referee forced from the field. With Atalanta-Venezia at 18:30 and Torino-Udinese at 20:45 still to complete the programme, the weekend has already offered a demanding examination of the officials.
The coach and the club
For coaches and clubs, these episodes become part of the longer championship argument. The crucial decisions did not always change the outcome, but they defined the temperature of several afternoons: Fiorentina saw a Gnonto goal ruled out, Inter eventually received a penalty after a review, Napoli benefited from a debatable spot-kick, and Fabbri’s match ended prematurely through injury.
Fiorentina’s disallowed goal and a firm disciplinary line
The official in Fiorentina’s match took a strict but broadly sound approach to cautions, showing eight yellow cards and giving each one on valid grounds. He allowed play to continue through a number of challenges rather than repeatedly stopping the contest.
In the 19th minute, Gnonto’s goal for Fiorentina was cancelled because Valdepenas was fractionally offside. VAR supported Maresca’s original call. Fiorentina also appealed for a penalty early in the second half after contact between Fagioli and Messias, but the challenge was too slight to warrant a spot-kick.
Ranieri’s booking was appropriate, even if it came close to a red-card threshold. The second half otherwise passed without significant controversy.
Inter’s delayed penalty
Inter’s match contained a more troubled first half for the referee. Sucic escaped a booking for an imprudent, though not violent, challenge on Keita in midfield. Earlier, in the second minute, Keita pushed Diouf, but the incident took place outside the penalty area.
There was no foul by Sucic in the build-up to Inter’s 13th-minute opener. A minute later, however, he should have been cautioned after arriving late on Keita’s legs once the ball had gone.
The decisive intervention came in the 15th minute. Pio Esposito appealed for a penalty after Diego Carlos’s studs caught the Inter forward’s tendon. The referee initially waved play on, but an on-field review — only the second of the season — led to the correct penalty award.
Touré’s fall after contact with Pavard in first-half stoppage time did not merit a penalty.
Napoli’s generous award
Napoli’s penalty in the 25th minute was the round’s most debatable call. Hojlund entered the area under pressure from Cittadini and there was low contact, but the impact appeared minimal. Feliciani’s decision to point to the spot was considered generous, particularly in light of the guidance issued by Orsato.
VAR was right not to intervene because the collision existed and the decision was not a clear and obvious mistake. Hojlund took the kick, Palmisani saved it, but the goalkeeper had moved both feet off his line before the Danish forward struck the ball. The retake was correctly ordered.
Lang’s 2-0 stood properly. The contact between Palmisani and Di Lorenzo before the goal was part of a normal playing sequence. Two cautions were nevertheless missed: Badiashile for a prolonged pull and Raimondo for a late challenge.
An injury interrupts Fabbri’s afternoon
Fabbri endured a difficult match before leaving the field with a knee problem in the 70th minute, handing responsibility to fourth official Sozza.
In first-half stoppage time, Diao was tripped by Wesley while running towards goal. It was an accidental clash of legs, but still a foul. Fabbri should have stopped play and cautioned Wesley; a dismissal was not required because Ndicka was positioned centrally and could have covered.
At the eighth minute of the second half, Malen was correctly sent off for a dangerous two-footed tackle on Kaiki’s ankles. Before that challenge, though, Ramon had clearly pulled Malen’s shirt, affecting his balance and momentum, and that foul should have been penalised.
Correct calls around the penalty areas
Another official handled the key incidents well, especially Lucchesi’s dismissal. The cautions in that match were also judged correctly.
Before Tavares scored in the third minute, there was contact between Frattesi and Folorunsho, but no intervention was required. Varela then had a goal disallowed in the 20th minute after being offside when Akinsamiro played the ball. Doekhi’s touch was not a deliberate play that could reset the offside phase.
Lucchesi’s red card in the 34th minute was correct: he held back Noslin as the forward ran through on goal. The earlier Tavares-Brindelli contact in the Lazio area, shortly before that incident, was close to the line but not sufficiently clear for a penalty.
Pairetto’s rapid reversal
Pairetto’s management lacked consistency. He initially let too much go, then began to whistle frequently, while his handling of a penalty decision and Coulibaly’s elbow left doubts.
Ilic was correctly booked in the 10th minute for a challenge on Pobega, and Maleh’s yellow card in the 46th minute was also justified. Coulibaly, however, should have been cautioned for an elbow to Zortea’s chest.
The major controversy arrived three minutes into the second half. Esteban went down after Pessina’s challenge in the area, and Pairetto immediately awarded a penalty. Within roughly ten seconds, he changed his mind after recognising that Esteban had clearly pulled Casale’s shirt first. Bologna were instead given a free-kick.
Missed bookings but sound decisions in the area
One referee had to manage an unnecessarily abrasive first half but did not make a major match-defining mistake. Van der Brempt should have been booked for a late, body-first challenge from behind on Moreira, while Estupinan also escaped a caution for a challenge on Van der Brempt.
In the sixth minute of stoppage time, Van der Brempt pulled De Winter’s shirt inside the area. No penalty was necessary because the Milan player was already going down.
Rabiot’s goal was valid, with the player returning onside in time. Elsewhere, Thorstvedt’s apparent 2-1 was correctly ruled out: the cross contained two fouls, most clearly Lipani’s infringement on Gila.
A quiet finish in Juventus’ match
The final match was controlled without major difficulty. The referee did not react to Zhegrova’s attempt to win a foul by going down too easily.
McKennie received the first booking shortly after the quarter-hour for a late sliding challenge on Romano. Rodriguez was then correctly cautioned in the 46th minute for bringing down Nico Gonzalez near the halfway line.
Cagliari’s goal was legal, as no player was in an illegal position during the sequence of ricochets before Daniel Maldini struck. Juventus’ equaliser also stood correctly: Kolo Muani was behind Obert when Alajbegovic delivered the cross.
Deiola received the third yellow card late on after stopping Kolo Muani near the edge of the area. In stoppage time, Zhegrova again went down in the box after only a very light hold by Sugawara, with no penalty warranted.
