Inter Milan 0-1 AC Milan – VAR Bails Out Underperforming Serie A Referee In His Third Derby Della Madonnina Appearance

Serie A referee Simone Sozza failed to live up to expectations in last night’s mouth-watering clash between Inter and AC Milan.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport via FCInterNews, VAR bailed the 38-year-old match official out of trouble.

Milan pulled off a dramatic 1-0 win over the Nerazzurri, knocking Cristian Chivu’s side down from a three-game winning league streak.

Indeed, Christian Pulisic scored the winning goal for the Rossoneri at the start of the second half.

VAR Bails Out Simone Sozza in Inter 0-1 AC Milan Loss

TORREON, MEXICO – FEBRUARY 19: Picture of the VAR system prior the 9th round match between Santos Laguna and Cruz Azul as part of the Torneo Clausura 2025 Liga MX at Corona Stadium on February 19, 2025 in Torreon, Mexico. (Photo by Manuel Guadarrama/Getty Images)

Simone Sozza registered his third appearance in the famous Derby della Madonnina.

However, the experienced referee failed to impress once again, nearly committing another grave mistake.

Indeed, Strahinja Pavlovic made a reckless tackle on Marcus Thuram midway through the second half.

Yet, it slipped Sozza’s eye, only for the VAR booth to urge the main referee to review the incident.

After consulting with the side-pitch monitor, Sozza changed his mind, awarding a penalty to Inter.

Unfortunately, Mike Maignan got the better of Hakan Calhanoglu, thwarting the 31-year-old’s attempt from the spot.