VAR got Juventus offside goal decision wrong by a distance
Juventus' dramatic last minute winner against Salernitana, which was disallowed by VAR for offside, should have stood, by about 50 cm!
On Sunday night, Max Allegri's side were involved in one of the craziest endings of a match, as they battled back from 2-0 down at half time, at home.
The Old Lady got to 2-2, thanks to an injury time goal from Leonardo Bonucci, but the drama didn't end there, with Arkadiusz Milik heading home a winner even deeper into the additional time.
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The former Napoli forward celebrated by removing his shirt, picking up a red card for his second yellow, and then an entire salt mine was rubbed into the wound when VAR disallowed the goal for offside.
Some felt it harsh as Bonucci, the man adjudged to be offside, didn't make contact with the ball but merely making a move towards it made him active.
But now footage has proved that he wasn't actually in an offside position, with Antonio Candreva seemingly keeping Bonucci onside by quite a distance.
OFFICIAL: There was no offside on Bonucci, Candreva keeps everyone on the game.
— Juve Canal (@juve_canal) September 11, 2022
Milik's goal was disallowed unfairly.
📸 @SandroSca pic.twitter.com/mx0zWz6Buw
#Candreva (in basso a sinistra) tiene in gioco tutti? #Juventus #JuveSalernitana pic.twitter.com/VW5DGv2BuW
— Giovanni Albanese (@GiovaAlbanese) September 11, 2022
Somehow the officials managed to miss that Candreva, in the white, was clearly keeping the Juve players, wearing a red and blue kit, despite being at home, onside.
Ironically, the Serie A giants will be back at the Allianz Stadium in midweek playing in the Champions League, against Benfica, where the same goal wouldn't have been disallowed.
The European competition is using semi automated offsides this season, in a trial, and that would have for sure picked up Candreva's position.
It was an irony pointed out by journalist James Horncastle, who took to Twitter to say, "Remarkable to think the VAR + ref forgot about Candreva who seems to be playing Bonucci onside by 50cm.
"One of the biggest mistakes I can remember since introduction of VAR. Incredible when you think there'll be semi-automated offside tech at same ground for CL this week."
Speaking after the match, Allegri refused to be drawn into criticising the decision, mainly because he was really hungry.
"I want to go to eat because it’s late, I don’t want to know anything," the Juve manager told DAZN.
"Was it a very bad performance? No, you say so, you see games, but you don’t watch them. The opening 20 minutes were very good. Then we conceded this goal from a wrong interpretation of Cuadrado.
"I never talk to referees after games, a goal was disallowed and it’s a fact.
The only thing is that I’d like to watch the video again. Antonio Candreva is close to the corner and we haven’t seen that video, what if he keeps everyone onside? We don’t have that video, nobody has it, so I don’t know.
“However, referees must be left alone, the protagonists are the footballers. We have 10-15 good referees in Italy.”
After a few high profile incorrect decisions in England recently, Premier League fans will be happy to find out it's not just them being damaged by VAR. Then again, not many people will feel too bad for Juventus...
Ryan Sidle