Marelli says foul on Gonçalves should have ruled out Como’s opener

Luca Marelli called Como’s opening goal against Fiorentina an obvious foul, but referee Marco Di Bello allowed Mattia Liberali’s strike to stand. Como then moved 2-0 ahead before Marin Pongračić pulled one back for Fiorentina before half-time, leaving the hosts trailing 2-1 after a disputed decision had already put them under pressure.

Liberali put Como in front with a curling left-footed shot past David de Gea. Fiorentina protested that a foul on Gonçalves had gone unpunished in the build-up. Di Bello let play continue, and Paolo Pezzuto was on VAR as the goal was confirmed.

Marelli, DAZN’s refereeing expert, criticised the call on the broadcast. “I really don’t understand how he didn’t give a foul and how this goal was confirmed,” he said. He added that the Como player had visibly held Gonçalves and made no effort to avoid the contact.

There are conflicting accounts of which Como player was involved. Calciomercato.com identifies Marc Kempf and reports Marelli saying he held Gonçalves. Violanews quotes Marelli saying it appeared Luis Milla’s foot made contact. The player’s identity differs between the reports, but Marelli’s assessment of the incident does not: he considered it a clear foul.

The decision came at a difficult point in Fiorentina’s season. They entered the seventh round 17th in Serie A, with four points and a goal difference of minus seven after losing four of their first six league matches. In that context, conceding an opener that Marelli believed should have been disallowed carries more weight than an isolated refereeing complaint.

Nico Paz scored Como’s second soon after Liberali’s goal, and Pongračić’s response before the break gave Fiorentina a route back into the match. At half-time, though, they still had to chase a one-goal deficit. The immediate test is whether they can turn that response into a result, while the controversy over the opener remains central to the first-half story.