Napoli v Olympiacos: VAR drama, penalty denied, brawl, De Bruyne spared | OneFootball

In the last pre-season friendly match, held in Castel di Sangro, Napoli defeated Olympiacos 2-1. A victory much more decisive than the narrow scoreline suggests. The Azzurri dominated their opponents from Piraeus (who were particularly foul-prone and lacked ideas) and scored with a magical left-footed curler by Politano in the 16th minute and a goal by Lucca in the 53rd minute. A negative note was Lukaku's injury.

Napoli-Olympiacos, review: penalty denied, brawl on the field, and De Bruyne spared

The friendly match in Castel di Sangro between Napoli and Olympiacos, the last test of the Azzurri's pre-season, was anything but calm. The referee Federico Dionisi had to manage a heated match, with contested episodes, tensions among players, and an atmosphere often beyond the limits of sportsmanship.

The referee's profile

In his eighth season in Can, Dionisi is the first referee from L'Aquila to have officiated in Serie B and then in Serie A (debuting in 2019 in Sassuolo-Sampdoria). In Castel di Sangro, he was assisted by Dei Giudici and Pascarella, with Guida as the fourth official. In the end, three players were booked: Hezze, De Bruyne, and El Kaabi.

Key moments of the match

26’ – First yellow card: booking for Hezze after a hard foul on De Bruyne.

29’ – De Bruyne spared: dangerous tackle by the Belgian on Pnevmonidis with a high leg at knee height. Only a yellow card, but the action could have warranted a red card.

Mini brawl: after a foul on Rrahmani, tensions erupted on the field. Conte entered to protest, with a heated exchange between staff and players from both teams. El Kaabi was booked.

39’ – Disallowed goal?: after a shot by El Kaabi was saved by Milinkovic, Napoli protested for a presumed offside not called.

65’ – Penalty denied: Strefezza touches Di Lorenzo in the area, the referee lets play continue but the contact seemed evident.

Injury time: the Greeks scored after time expired, but the match ended 2-1 for Napoli.

Assessment of the referee's performance

Dionisi managed a complex match, but some decisions — particularly the lack of a red card for De Bruyne and the penalty not awarded to Di Lorenzo — leave doubts. The excessive tolerance towards rough play contributed to raising the tension on the field, making it necessary for the coaches to intervene directly to calm things down.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.