Italian newspapers concur with Daniele De Rossi’s assertion that AS Roma merited a penalty kick against Lecce for a foul committed on Nicola Zalewski during the second half of the match.
Roma made an appeal for a penalty kick in the 55th minute at the Stadio Via Del Mare on Sunday. The incident occurred as Zalewski took his shot, with the home team’s goalkeeper, Wladimiro Falcone, colliding with his teammate Alexis Blin, who subsequently collided with Zalewski.
De Rossi acknowledged that he had not observed the foul during the match but expressed dissatisfaction after reviewing the replay following the conclusion of the game.
Both Corriere dello Sport and Gazzetta concur that AS Roma should have been granted a penalty kick. Corriere dello Sport rated referee Matteo Marcenaro 4.5 out of 10, emphasizing that the match official “ignored” the incident while VAR “remained inactive.”
Gazzetta provided a similar assessment in its printed edition on Tuesday, page 20, stating that Blin and Falcone impeded Zalewski from continuing his attack.
However, Antonio Damato, the head of refereeing, stated on Monday night that the referee’s decision was correct, considering that Zalewski had already taken his shot, and VAR did not intervene because there was no clear and evident error.