More VAR drama as Inter snatch dramatic win at Sampdoria
Inter Milan provided plenty of late drama as Marcelo Brozovic's last-gasp goal earned them a 1-0 Serie A victory at Sampdoria in a game featuring a number of video assistant referee (VAR) controversies.
Croatian midfielder Brozovic struck the winner deep into stoppage time yesterday morning (Singapore time), with the win leaving Inter in ninth place in the Serie A table with seven points from five games, five points adrift of leaders Juventus who faced Frosinone this morning.
Behind Juve on goal difference are Napoli, who defeated Torino 3-1 in Turin yesterday.
Inter coach Luciano Spalletti was under growing pressure after picking up just one win in four league games and it looked like they would suffer another disappointing day when they were twice denied the lead by video reviews.
The Milan club were left furious in the wake of their 1-0 defeat by Parma last weekend after the VAR was not consulted for a potential handball inside the box.
VAR thwarted them again when Radja Nainggolan's first-half strike was judged to be offside in the build-up before Kwadwo Asamoah also had a goal disallowed following a review, this time because the ball went out of play.
Sampdoria then looked to have snatched the win when Gregiore Defrel found the net late on, but he too was found to be offside by VAR.
Brozovic's late strike then prompted huge celebrations from the Inter bench and Spalletti was sent off in the melee.
"Winning this way shows the fighting spirit of this team," Spalletti said.
"It might mean taking some risks, but we are Inter and we live on the edge to get the win.
"Seeing this passion gives me greater strength to go forward and I'm glad that element is here rather than the tactics, as those will come with time."
Napoli put in a dominant display at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino with Lorenzo Insigne opening the scoring after just four minutes when he pounced on a rebound.
Simone Verdi added the second with a half-volley on 20 minutes, with Torino pulling one back after the break when Andrea Belotti slotted in a penalty. But Insigne restored their two-goal lead after 59 minutes when a Jose Callejon shot bounced off the inside of the far post and into his path. - REUTERS
OTHER RESULTS
- Fiorentina 3 Spal 0
- Torino 1 Napoli 3
- Bologna 2 AS Roma 0
- Chievo 0 Udinese 2
- Lazio 4 Genoa 1
- Sassuolo 3 Empoli 1
- Parma 2 Cagliari 0
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