"The referee ran to the bathroom": the match between Ukraine and Italy with a scandalous ending caused a strong reaction in the media in the Apennines

The final match of the Euro 2024 group stage between Ukraine and Italy (0:0) is not leaving the pages of the world sports press. And largely due to its scandalous ending, when the referee did not give a penalty for a violation on Mudryk and did not even review the controversial moment, which guaranteed Spalletti's team second place in the group and participation in the championship directly, and the "blue and yellows" - the playoffs.

OBOZ.UA decided to see what the Italian media wrote about the match in Leverkusen and whose side they took. And it should be said that local journalists practically did not argue that Cristante broke the rules on the Ukrainian star, and the referee made a mistake and did not give a penalty. They simply accepted this gift from the referee and moved on. Although some tried not to interpret this episode unambiguously.

La Gazzetta dello Sport. Andrea Di Caro, deputy editor of one of the oldest sports publications in Europe, noted that Italy qualified for Euro 2024 after a difficult, tough, tense match against generous and tough Ukraine.

"We played for victory for at least 70 minutes, then eventually we lowered our center of gravity, closed the space and we should thank the VAR mistake and the referee who denied Ukraine a penalty in the 93rd minute. Cristiano was not looking for Mudryk, but the effect of the contact was there. If the referee had not awarded us the same penalty, we would have been talking about it for a long time. But let's get a little gift, avoid the playoffs and get ready to survive June and, hopefully, July, painted in blue," Di Caro wrote.

The journalist also emphasized how difficult it was for the European champions after the break: "In the second half, we held the field, we created less, we defended, we fought, we suffered. There was a little bit of everything in this race. It could not be called spectacular or even epic, but it was very tense. The stakes were very high. So let's take the good things that happened and be satisfied. We wanted at least one point, and we got it."

Corriere dello Sport. "At the end of a hard-fought, balanced and challenging match, Italy won the point they needed to reach the final phase of the European Championship. In the 93rd minute, Ukraine protested a lot over a disallowed penalty kick for an alleged foul by Cristante in the center of the penalty area on Mudryk, who outpaced the Roma midfielder before being tackled and falling to the ground. With a goal and a victory, Ukraine would have qualified immediately, sending Spalletti's Italy to the playoffs," the reputable media outlet noted.

"Referee Gil Manzano, a Spaniard, did not point to the spot after the contact. The whistle was not repeated by VAR to review the alleged violation on the screen. Obviously, there was a silent check," the Italian journalists suggested, analyzing the referee's actions.

But the editor of the publication in his column was more categorical: "The only way to move forward is to move forward. Although this is less beautiful. We have to be honest and not list the numerous mistakes of the referees that have deprived us of success, titles and damaged our liver in the past: in the last seconds, Gil Manzano pretended not to see a penalty that would have allowed Ukraine to use a great opportunity, the VAR referee ran to the bathroom for a minute (I think he had an inflamed prostate) and, in short, everything went not very well, but very well. For a moment I thought about how Mourinho would have reacted in Rebrov's place..."

"I must admit that if on the eve of the match in Leverkusen, Ceferin had not said that 'Italy must qualify for Euro 2024, otherwise it will be a disaster,' I would have felt better today," added Ivan Zazzaroni.

After the match, he noted that for some time the Italians played well in the first half, then periodically experienced problems "because of the ingenuity of the Ukrainians, who were obliged to win."

"The last minutes were a real suffering for us, and the final whistle was a real relief. It's useless and frustrating to repeat the same thing for years now, because no one is doing anything to change the tone and growth of the team, so it's better to try to come to terms with what we have become. Irreparably, I'm afraid," the editor criticized the Italian national team.

Tuttosport. "Italy is not idle in Leverkusen and qualifies for the European Championships in Germany. It's suffering a bit, especially towards the end, but Ukraine is not breaking through its defense. Defeat would be an excessive punishment: "The Azzurri controlled the game for an hour and created a lot of chances. Rebrov's team reappears at the end, takes risks and comes close to the goal that would have sent Donnarumma and his teammates to the playoffs several times," the match review says.

The journalist of the resource emphasized that in the first half of the match, Spalletti's team suffered between the 10th and 15th minute, when it was difficult for them to press and take the ball away from the Ukrainians at the right time: "Imperfect mechanisms that allowed Rebrov's team to be dangerous, especially Sudakov, who seriously challenged Donnarumma from the penalty area."

Then, according to the author of the article, the Scuadra Azzurra took action and played a very good first half, which was only missing a goal. The Italians pressed well, and Ukraine tried their best to get out of the defense, but at the same time took a more wait-and-see attitude.

The newspaper described the episode with Cristante's foul on Mudryk as follows: "All things considered, the contact was minimal, even though the Ukrainian aggravated the fall. Gil Manzano did not commit a foul, but doubts remain."

Earlier, OBOZ.UA reported that Russia was happy that Ukrainians were not allowed to attend Euro 2024, and Mudryk was called a dodger.

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