Atalanta’s director, Luca Percassi, has lodged a protest against what he describes as “two unjustifiable refereeing errors” following their Coppa Italia semi-final defeat to Lazio on penalties. The club expressed frustration over a disallowed goal and other contentious decisions during the match in Bergamo, where Atalanta had fought back twice to secure a 2-2 draw in the first leg at the Stadio Olimpico.
The team saw two goals disallowed by VAR. The first was for a disputed foul by Nikola Krstovic on Edoardo Motta, and the second was for an offside call against Davide Zappacosta. Despite Mario Pasalic quickly equalizing Alessio Romagnoli’s opener, the tie remained level after extra time, leading to a penalty shootout.
In the shootout, Lazio emerged victorious when goalkeeper Edoardo Motta saved four consecutive penalties. This result sends Lazio to the Coppa Italia Final to face Inter on May 13th.
Atalanta Expresses Discontent with Refereeing
Following the match, club director Percassi, rather than coach Raffaele Palladino, addressed the media to convey the club’s protest. Percassi highlighted an “evident error” in the disallowed goal for Ederson, stating that there was “more than one error from the referee.” He lamented that a “fully deserved qualification was thrown away by a key incident that inevitably had a big impact on the game.”
The disallowed goal involved a sequence where Mario Gila’s clearance struck his own knee and then his outstretched arm. As the play continued, Krstovic poked the ball away from Motta’s grasp, allowing Ederson to score. However, the goal was disallowed.
Percassi added that this was not an isolated incident against Lazio, referencing a past Coppa Italia Final loss in 2019. He emphasized the difficulty in justifying such significant errors, especially with the advanced technology available to referees. “It leaves a really bitter taste in the mouth to see this happen,” he remarked.
When questioned about whether the protest focused on the handball or the foul on the goalkeeper, Percassi indicated both. He argued that even if the ball hadn’t hit Gila’s knee, it would have still gone onto his arm. Regarding Krstovic’s challenge, Percassi asserted that the replays clearly showed he anticipated the goalkeeper, making the referee’s decision “truly incomprehensible.” He concluded by stating that he had not spoken to the referee but found it difficult to imagine how such “obvious errors” could be explained.
Interestingly, a similar situation occurred shortly after, when Lazio appealed for a handball against Giorgio Scalvini, who also kicked the ball onto his own arm. However, this appeal was not upheld in the same manner.
