What a Var night! Controversy and venom. Napoli one step away from the Scudetto

The great thing is that, almost at the same time, Napoli were awarded a penalty by referee Doveri for a foul by Lovik on Neres, with all that would have ensued because the eventual conversion would have mathematically awarded the Scudetto to the partenopei. Moments of feverish illusion, with the whole of Naples ready to roar, and instead the usual Var cancelled everything out due to an earlier foul by Simeone on Circati. A foul which, in the not-so-distant past, no one would have noticed but which instead became decisive in the cancellation of the penalty.

So what? Then a draw for Napoli as well. All mixed up in a furious head-to-head that hasn't happened since 2008. But now the Azzurri are even closer to the goal. Conte pointed this out with his syncopated way of saying and not saying: "We have to stay on the ball, stay focused, in order to reach a Scudetto that would become historic..."

While Naples tepidly crosses its fingers in celebration, a rancorous silence of protest dominates in Milan. The accused, of course, is the refereeing and, consequently, its technological arm, namely the Var, which has now become the real totem of a surreal evening that will be remembered for quite a while. As for the disputed episodes, also reported in the other matches, the discussions will go on forever as it has always been for centuries. Also because Var is only a tool, technologically certainly more precise, but then it has to be interpreted.

What can I say? Expressing an opinion in these cases is like throwing a lit match in a petrol drum. The venerable masters of the field will do it at length. One can certainly understand the disappointment of Inter, who, at 2-1, were already anticipating overtaking, but Bisseck's outstretched arm is clearly visible. Incidentally, although Napoli are now within a step of the title, the games are not yet closed. And to create further bafflement, in order to fix a possible play-off next Sunday, the two decisive matches (Napoli-Cagliari and Como-Inter) should take place in a midweek round, presumably next Thursday. So we are in for another evening of crossed destinies.

What about the rest of this bloody Sunday? What happened on the other fields? Premising that even here we should talk for another half an hour about Var episodes (enough, for goodness sake!), let's go to a quick summary.

Tudor's Juventus, beating Udinese 2-0, consolidated fourth place (67 points) ahead of Roma (66) who scrambled 3-1 against poor AC Milan, now adrift like a dismasted sailing ship.

For those interested in debate, going back to Juve, we would like to point out that the second goal was scored by Vlahovic (nice left cross) who had not scored for 84 days. A good comeback, that of the Juventus centre forward, but one that does not remove the doubts about his stay in Turin. He is more likely to pack his bags. Instead, Roma did well, celebrating Ranieri's 500 games in Serie A at the Olimpico. In a packed stadium, Sir Claudio gave the Giallorossi a fifth place that brings them closer to the Europa League and that, in the case of a last minute turnaround, could even take them into the Champions League.

Milan, caught up in its troubles, hardly makes the news. Just as Gimenez's expulsion for an elbowing in reaction is not news. On the other hand, the 3-2 with which Fiorentina beat Bologna, now satiated after winning the Coppa Italia, was entertaining. Once again, Kean's third goal was decisive for the Viola.

And the relegation fight? Save those who can. Monza is doomed (defeated 3-1 by Empoli), but Lecce's victory over Torino (1-0) should be noted, giving some oxygen back to the hopes of the Salentini, third at 31 points with Empoli itself. Water at the throat instead for Venezia, penultimate at 29. Instead, the path of Como continues quietly. Despite a 1-1 draw in Verona, Fabregas' team is firmly on the right side of the table with 49 points. The last match, as chance would have it, will be against Inter. A few more weeks this rampant Como would have been breathing down the neck even of Milan, poor Diavolo out of all games and prisoner of an increasingly inconclusive management.