Graziano Cesari heaped praise on Serie A referee Simone Sozza for an ‘excellent’ display in last night’s clash between Inter Milan and Roma.
During his latest interview via FCInterNews, Cesari took stock of Sozza’s performance at San Siro.
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Runaway Serie A leaders Inter Milan put top-four hopefuls Roma to the sword, emerging as 5-2 winners in yesterday’s mouth-watering fixture.
Indeed, Lautaro Martinez returned to action with a brace, extending his league tally to 16 goals this season.
Meanwhile, Marcus Thuram halted his five-game scoring drought in the top flight with a towering header early in the second half.
Furthermore, the Frenchman added two assists, setting up El Toro for both goals.
However, the most remarkable moment took place on the stroke of halftime, when Hakan Calhanoglu scored a screamer to restore Inter’s lead.
Last but not least, Nicolo Barella netted his first league goal since October to cap off a memorable night for the Nerazzurri.
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Graziano Cesari Hails Referee Simone Sozza After Inter Milan 5-2 Roma Thrashing
“Sozza was very good, Cesari said. “He usually doesn’t get the big games wrong.
“After two and a half minutes, you already see a challenge between Pisilli and Calhanoglu. Neither of them intends to harm the other; they both pull their legs back, and Sozza did very well to award just a foul without any disciplinary action.
“Then there’s an incident in the Roma box with Cristante, who does well with his experience by extending his left arm to prevent Calhanoglu from reaching the ball.”
“Akanji’s handball in the box? His arms never move away from his body, and he doesn’t make himself bigger. It was the correct decision by Sozza. Akanji was also excellent in stopping Malen on the counter with a clean, well-timed intervention.
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“On Inter’s third goal, however, there’s Thuram’s hand on Rensch, which prevents him from landing properly, but I don’t blame Sozza because the assistant is right there. You can’t hold a shirt like that.”
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