Jose Mourinho criticised VAR and what he described as a “penalty tailored to modern football” following Roma’s 1-0 loss to Lazio in a tense Coppa Italia quarterfinal on Wednesday.
The only goal of the game came in the 51st minute, when Mattia Zaccagni converted a penalty for Lazio. The decision was based on the foul adjudged to have been committed by Roma defender Dean Huijsen on Taty Castellanos.
“We lost to what I will call a penalty suited to modern football, one that the referee does not give when he is three metres away and VAR does,” Mourinho said afterward.
“This is how the referees are told to act—20–30 years ago, players would never go down the way they do here. A penalty ought to be seen as the maximum punishment. The referee was right there and decided not to give the penalty, but when there is someone in front of a screen that calls him for a minimal contact and the player puts on a show following that contact, there’s not much he can do.”
In a typically intense derby clash, the match concluded with three players receiving red cards in the closing minutes.
Lazio forward Pedro faced expulsion in the sixth minute of stoppage time, having received two yellow cards within a span of two minutes.
Roma forward Sardar Azmoun received a straight red card for essentially slapping Lazio midfielder Nicolo Rovella on the back of the head. Additionally, teammate Gianluca Mancini was sent off for dissent after the final whistle.
The heated atmosphere extended to the supporters, with Roma midfielder Edoardo Bove being struck by a glass bottle thrown from the crowd during his substitution in the second half.
Roma’s challenging day was compounded by key forward Paulo Dybala being forced off at halftime due to yet another muscular injury in his extensive list. The World Cup winner from Argentina is now a doubt for the upcoming Serie A match against AC Milan on Sunday. Adding to their woes, manager Mourinho will also be absent, serving a suspension after being sent off in the previous weekend’s match.
“He suffered the usual muscle injury,” Mourinho said. “He played a very physical match two days ago and was on the pitch for 80 minutes. This was a demanding game and he wanted to play.
“When Paulo goes down, everything becomes more difficult”
Lazio will face either Juventus or Frosinone in the two-legged semifinals in April.
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