{
  "id": 15432881,
  "title": "Why it took so long for referees to rule Pongracic equaliser offside against Como",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/why-it-took-so-long-for-referees-to-rule-pongracic-equaliser-offside",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-18T15:05:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/why-took-long-referees-rule-150500900.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a Serie A match between Fiorentina and Como on Sunday, it took nearly five minutes for the referee to rule Marin Pongracic's equalising goal offside. Pongracic had scored after falling 2-0 behind in the first half, bringing the match level. The goal came from a set-piece free-kick delivered by 17-year-old Argentine Franco Mastantuono. Initially, Pongracic believed he had scored the equaliser. However, the decision to disallow the goal for offside sparked lengthy scrutiny by the Video Assistant Referees. The semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) used during the match failed, necessitating manual checks due to the high density of players in the congested penalty area. Despite three minutes being added to the first half, the match clock stopped at 53 minutes after the half-time whistle.",
  "summary": "Marin Pongracic thought he had netted a quickfire brace to draw Fiorentina level after falling 2-0 behind in the first half of their Serie A match against Como on Sunday afternoon, but he was eventual...",
  "key_points": [
    "Referee took 4 minutes 57 seconds to disallow Pongracic's goal.",
    "Video Assistant Referees manually reviewed the offside decision.",
    "SAOT system malfunctioned, causing delay in finalizing the call."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}