Juventus came away from Udine with three well-earned points, although the margin of victory arguably did not reflect the dominance shown by Luciano Spalletti’s side. The Bianconeri created numerous chances and controlled much of the play, but their tally was kept down in part by the decision to rule out Francisco Conceição’s late strike due to Teun Koopmeiners’ offside position.
Tuttosport: “The Goal Should Have Stood”
Former referee Giampaolo Calvarese, writing for Tuttosport, analysed the situation in detail. He noted that referee Maurizio Mariani annulled the goal after a VAR review, judging that Koopmeiners’ position hindered Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye’s ability to react. Calvarese, however, disagreed with that interpretation.
According to him, the Dutch midfielder did not make any clear movement towards the ball nor attempt to interfere with the play. “In the frame-by-frame replay, you can see Koopmeiners lift his foot only after the ball has already passed,” argued Calvarese. “The goalkeeper had an unobstructed view of the shot, so in my opinion, the goal should have counted.”
He also dismissed Udinese’s appeals for a penalty earlier in the match, judging both a McKennie handball and a Cambiaso tug on Ekkelenkamp as correct non-decisions.
Gazzetta dello Sport: “Correct to Disallow It”
La Gazzetta dello Sport, on the other hand, supported the officials’ decision. The paper pointed to current guidelines which treat the six-yard box as a sensitive area: any offside player positioned there may be deemed to interfere with play, even without direct involvement in the action.
“At the 70th minute, Mariani was called to the monitor to assess whether Koopmeiners was actively offside. Though he stepped aside from Conceição’s shot, everything took place inside the goal area — which, under current interpretations, makes his position punishable,” reported Gazzetta.
Corriere dello Sport: “A Marginal Call”
The Corriere dello Sport expressed uncertainty, calling Mariani’s decision “a borderline one”. The paper noted that Koopmeiners made no obvious attempt to play the ball or distract opponents, meaning the interference was minimal. Nevertheless, the referee followed the general instruction to penalise players standing close to the line of shot inside the six-yard box.
“The Juventus players showed clear frustration at the call,” noted the paper, suggesting that the line of vision for the Udinese goalkeeper remained unaffected.
