"We stole nothing": Italy coach outraged by the discussion of the match with Ukraine

Italy's head coach Luciano Spalletti has expressed irritation over the discussion of an unassigned penalty against his team in the match against Ukraine in the qualifiers for the 2024 European Championship. The Azzurri coach rejected the idea that Serhii Rebrov's team had been deprived of a ticket to the tournament.

Spalletti said this in a comment to the areanapoli.it portal. According to the Italian specialist, he is upset by the criticism of his team. He expressed confidence that the "squadra azzurra" deservedly reached the final of the continental championship, where they will defend the title of champions.

"We didn't steal anything. There are two ways to comment on a game. The first is to pay attention to the actions of the players, who showed themselves to be brave and generous. The second is to take a single moment that fits the theory and say that Ukraine was robbed. It's upsetting to do that," Spalletti said.

The referee did not award a penalty to the Italian national team for a foul after which Mykhailo Mudryk fell in the 2024 qualifying match. Even its captain, Gianluigi Donnarumma, recognized the violation of the rules by the Azzurri defender. Social networks reacted strongly to the episode, and even the Italian media did not defend the referee. Russian journalists also agreed that Ukraine was fooled.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, the President of the European Football Union (UEFA) Aleksander Čeferin wished the rivals of the Ukrainian national team to reach the championship before the draw of the Euro 2024 playoffs.

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