Bizarre VAR Smalling penalty call sinks Roma
A strange, VAR-assisted handball ruling against Chris Smalling proved decisive as Torino beat Roma 2-0 in Serie A this morning.
Torino was up 1-0 when Roma defender Smalling was adjudged to have beaten the ball away using his arm after a challenge on Andrea Belotti.
Footage shows the ball bouncing off the Englishman's back after he blocked a shot from the Torino captain.
As Smalling swung around to clear, his arm connected with the bobbling ball, sending it racing back out of the penalty area.
Initially, referee Marco Di Bello waved play on, before the video assistant referee (VAR) intervened minutes later. After a lengthy review, the penalty was awarded for handball, with Belotti making no mistake from the spot to double his side's lead and secure the three points.