The VAR, protagonist again: Why they cancelled the second goal to Messi?

Although it is true that the decisions taken by the referee and by the VAR did not vary the final result of the eliminatory, the true is that once again the focus went back to plant in the referees. There were several controversial actions along the Barça-Napoli, and surprised that Cüneyt Çakir, the attendant to give order and justice, so only went to the monitor to review the clearest of all: the penalti of Koulibaly to Leo Messi.

Warned by the colleagues of the VAR to the edge of the rest, the Turkish referee needed to see several repetitions to confirm that, sure enough, Koulibaly had kicked the ankle of the Argentinian star when it tried to clear the balloon. Penalti Clear, although they took more minutes of the account in signalling it.

It had not taken so much in invalidating Çakir, minutes before, the second goal of Messi in the party. The rosarino received a glorious centre with the outside of Frenkie of Jong, controlled with the breast and fulminó to Ospina. It was the momentary 3-0, but after being warned by his mates of the VAR, the referee decided to cancel it. It did not want to review the action in the monitors, when the true is that it was more than doubtful. The goal was cancelled by a very light contact of the hand of Messi with the balloon, that hardly served to divert the path... Something that only saw in one of the a lot of angles of repetition of the played.

Çakir, in any case, fió of what said him from the room VOR and did not review he same the played. Neither it thought it to him twice to the hour to signal the 'penaltito' committed by Rakitic on Mertens just before finishing the first time. There was contact between the boot of the Croatian and the foot of the player napolitano, although it would be difficult to determine if it was sufficient to demolish him. It was as it was, penalti theoretically just and 3-1 in the marker to the rest.

Fewer controversial actions in the second time

In the second half, a lot of less controversial. The VAR so only took part in occasions explained for esclarecer some that another offside, as the one of Arkadiusz Milik in the goal of head that marked at all more go in to the field, when they already remained few minutes for the end of the party. Here, luckily, the VAR did not fail and cancelled what would have been the 3-2, a target that would have put of full to the Italians in the eliminatory.

Further of this played isolated, relative tranquility in a second time in which the Barça defended too much, perhaps something trusted with the result and also noticing the physical wear. It does not be necessary to forget that Setién did not do the first change until the minute 81, when Gattuso already had spent his... Between the VAR and the decisions of Quique Setién, the history could have finish badly for the Barcelona. Fortunately, it did not go like this and the culés will travel to Lisbon to play the 'final to eight' of the Champions League. It will be necessary to improve a lot to delete to the Bayern in quarter-finals.