Allegri: I wouldn’t have given either of the penalties

Juventus pulled off a narrow 2-1 win over a plucky Sampdoria side, with a Cristiano Ronaldo brace the difference. However, the final score was heavily influenced by two penalties called by the referee, one for each side. The visitors even pulled back an equalizer in time added on, but it was called off for offside after consulting with VAR.

Speaking after the game manager Massimiliano Allegri commented on the use of VAR.

“It is right that referees use VAR when they consider it opportune. To be honest, I wouldn’t have given either of the two penalties today, but it’s only in Italy that this much controversy is stirred up. We must realise these are still subjective situations.”

On the game itself -

“We created many scoring opportunities against a very good Samp side.

“After their penalty, we got a bit chaotic, but were back on track in the second half. Fortunately, that late Saponara goal was offside.

“We need to improve on keeping our calm when conceding, because otherwise we risk letting another goal in.”

Juve go into the winter break with a new record 53 points from the first half of the season.

“We do have the perception that with Cristiano Ronaldo there’s a better chance of winning the Champions League. However, we’re not even in January yet and there’s a very long way to go.”