Nicolo Barella 'blames Liverpool incident' for Inter's shock Champions League exit

Nicolo Barella mentioned a controversial incident against Liverpool in December after Inter Milan were knocked out of the Champions League by Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt.

Bodo/Glimt pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Champions League history on Tuesday as they knocked out last year's finalists at the San Siro.

Having lost the first leg 3-1, Inter exited the competition without much of a fight. Goals from Jens Petter Hauge and Hakon Evjen made it 5-1 on aggregate before Alessandro Bastoni scored a late consolation.

It was a hugely disappointing night for Cristian Chivu's side and after the full-time whistle, a frustrated Nicolo Barella gave credit to Bodo/Glimt but mentioned a crucial incident from their league phase clash against Liverpool.

"We tried but they were better," he said. "It is infuriating that we slipped out of the league phase by one point because they called a made-up penalty in the 90th minute (vs Liverpool), and with that, we didn't end up in the top eight."

Dominik Szoboszlai scored the winner from the penalty spot. Image credit: Getty

Barella added: "Without it, we would have avoided the two extra matches and the trip to Norway, but that is the new Champions League."

Back in December, the decision to award Liverpool a late spot-kick after Florian Wirtz was brought down in the area was criticised by many.

Wirtz went down easily when Alessandro Bastoni tugged his shirt in the box and play initially continued, but VAR eventually halted proceedings before the referee watched the incident from the pitchside monitor.

He decided to point to the spot, with Dominik Szoboszlai going on to convert from 12 yards to secure all three points.

"I don’t understand why the VAR had to intervene when the referee saw it all, the obvious simulation throwing himself to the ground," said former England manager Fabio Capello.

Inter midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan added: "I don't know how they came up with a penalty that never existed but this is football. We are not happy. If you give a penalty like this, then every contact in the box is a penalty."

The referee awarded a penalty after Florian Wirtz went down in the box. Image credit: Getty

Two months after the game against Arne Slot's side and Barella is clearly still irritated after suggesting the defeat to Bodo/Glimt could have been avoided if the referee had made a different decision.

Cristian Chivu reacts to his side's Champions League exit

Speaking in his post-match media duties, Chivu lamented his side's inability to match Bodo/Glimt's energy levels.

“We tried every possible way against a team that was well-organised in a low block, with ten players behind the ball,” Chivu said. “We couldn’t break them down, and they found a mental comfort zone.

“I have nothing to reproach the players for – they gave everything with the energy they had, though the opponents had more, especially in the second half. We did our best, trying to open the game in the first half.

“In the second, they managed to create opportunities and scored two goals. There’s a lot of disappointment because we tried to advance, but unfortunately, they had more energy."

“Bodo is an organised team that came here to do what they had to do with determination," added Chivu. "We must congratulate them. They deserve to progress.”