Most Italian media outlets assert that Napoli should have been awarded a penalty kick against Barcelona for a foul on Victor Osimhen during the second half of their recent match. However, amidst this controversy, another contentious decision went unaddressed during the encounter.
Napoli was eliminated from the Champions League Round of 16 by Barcelona on Tuesday. Notwithstanding opinions from former Italian coaches Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello, who opined that Napoli did not merit advancement to the quarter-finals, an incident occurred in the second half that potentially could have altered the outcome of the game.
A prevalent viewpoint among Italian media posits that Napoli ought to have been granted a penalty at the 50th minute mark due to Pau Cubarsí’s apparent contact with Osimhen’s foot.
Matteo Pierelli, a journalist for La Gazzetta dello Sport, remarked that although the referee might have perceived the contact as minimal, Cubarsí did indeed make contact with Osimhen’s foot, thus justifying the awarding of a penalty kick.
Moreover, there is surprise expressed that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) did not intervene, even for a pitchside review, which Graziano Cesari, a former Serie A official and referee pundit for Sport Mediaset, deemed unexpected.
Cesari further opined that Barcelona defender Andreas Christensen should have received a red card for a robust challenge on Stanislav Lobotka during the first half.
Adding to the discourse, Napoli reporter Luca Cerchione highlighted an additional oversight from Tuesday’s match, suggesting that Jesper Lindstrøm was fouled in the build-up to Barcelona’s third goal. Despite the referee’s decision to allow play to continue, Cerchione noted that the whistle was not blown when the ball went out of play, allowing Barcelona to score their third goal following a throw-in.