AC Milan 0-0 Inter Milan: 5 Talking Points
The 221st Derby Della Madonnina between AC Milan and Inter Milan finished at a stalemate. The Nerazzurri celebrated going in front in the 38th minute through Mauro Icardi but the goal was ruled out courtesy of a VAR review, as the Inter captain was clearly offside, keeping the game tied at the break.
It was a close second half and Icardi had the best opportunity of the game ten minutes in but he squandered his chance miserably as he missed an open goal. Later, it was Patrick Cutrone who scored off an incredible overhead kick but was, unfortunately, denied since he was offside by a significant margin.
A last minute open goal was failed to be converted by the Argentinian, Icardi as both the teams shared the spoils in the final Milan Derby of the 2017-18 season.
Here are the key talking points from the game:
#5 VAR makes its presence known
The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology made an unlikely appearance in the Milan derby. It was in the 38th minute when Inter Milan broke through on goal with Mauro Icardi from an Antonio Candreva pass and the Argentinian had no problem in putting the ball through Gianluigi Donnaruma to give Inter the lead.
The players and fans were celebrating going in front but the celebrations were cut short when the on-field referee was seen communicating with the officials from the replay center. After the information was received, the referee disallowed the goal and ruled it as offside.
Having a look at the VAR review provided justification to the viewers as Icardi was offside by just half a yard when the ball was played in.The VAR has come under major criticism this season, especially in England when it has been used for the cup competitions.
However, this time the technology proved to be successful as any post-match controversy was going to be avoided since the goal was ruled out. The technology is still new and in its developing stages in Europe specifically due to a lack of conclusiveness and accuracy in decisions.