the penalty that Boca claimed and the incredible hand of Varela that did not see the VAR

There were no goals, but there were controversies. Velez Y Boca they met in Liniers, tied 0-0, but both requested penalties that are still being discussed. On the one hand, Sebastian Villa fell in the Fortín area and the entire Xeneize claimed a penalty. Later, an Alan Varela handball seemed clear on replay, but Patricio Loustau was not asked by VAR to verify. Here are the videos of each action.

The controversies:

Penalty for Velez?

About the end of the game, the biggest controversy. Alan Varela went with his hand up to cover a header from Perrone and the repetitions, like the TV captures, travel the social networks. It seems that the Boca player touches it, and that the VAR speaks to Loustau, but does not ask him to go check it.

At one time it seemed, or it was thought that the ball had left the field of play before it gets to Perrone’s head, but that didn’t happen, and the linesman, as seen in the image, did not raise the flag eithersomething he would do when the ball crosses the baseline.

The play was requested by all of Vélez and it seemed quite clear, at least the touch of Varela’s hand with the ball. It is striking that the VAR has not asked the referee to review it. For that, he would have to be sure that it was not criminal. Technology is once again at the center of the controversy.

Penalty to Villa?

If Boca started much better and with more danger on the Vélez goal in the ST it was thanks to Sebastián Villa, the Colombian who was unstoppable on the left wing. And precisely, in that area and with that protagonist, one of the controversies of the night was generated…

Villa received from Romero, he confronted Gianetti, he got into the area and managed to throw the center back (the play ended in nothing) the defender of Vélez lowered his right foot on the left ankle of the forward of Bocawho was left behind the baseline, directly outside the court, complaining of pain and hitting the ground.

The game continued and Loustau not only did not sanction a penalty at first sight, but he did not even stop to review it with the VAR. And that’s where all of Boca exploded… First with Battaglia, who approached Fernando Echenique, the fourth referee, and asked him if “they didn’t call you to review it” to which the judge replied no. Villa himself pointed to his eye with a finger asking for review.​

But there was no… Was it criminal? Watching the television replays, you can see how Vélez’s defender hit Villa in the left ankle, causing him to fall. For Loustau and the VAR, however, it was nothing…​

On the other hand, hThere was a third controversy with Luis Vázquez, who hit Diego Gómez hard, with an iron that could well have been checked, but nothing happened. Boca’s striker was saved.