Why Atalanta goal was disallowed against Inter

Originally posted on Football Italia | By Susy Campanale | Last updated 2/28/24

Atalanta thought they had taken the lead against Inter, but the goal was disallowed for handball in a borderline decision, as seen by examining the IFAB guidelines.

Mario Pasalic intercepted a wayward Benjamin Pavard pass and Aleksei Miranchuk charged down the Alessandro Bastoni clearance, allowing Charles De Ketelaere to fire in the rebound.

It was disallowed following a VAR On-Field Review, as Miranchuk blocked the ball with his arm.

However, it was far from a clear-cut decision, even if the Russia international had his arm raised and away from the body.

The IFAB guidelines have a very specific cut-off point to differentiate from the shoulder and area of the arm that is valid to control the ball and where the arm begins.

Images show that the ball struck Miranchuk more or less on that line, so it is fortunate for Inter that the footage was so clear and allowed the referee to make a decision.

Naturally, any subjective decision such as handball must be taken by the referee, so VAR can only recommend an On-Field Review and not make the call themselves.

VAR intervenes to give Benjamin Pavard a lifeline after Atalanta take the lead from his mistake

Correct decision? pic.twitter.com/S4W3mOU7MK

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 28, 2024