"We tried but they were better. 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. Without it, we would have avoided the two extra matches and the trip to Norway, but that is the new Champions League."
"The incident in question involved Florian Wirtz, who went down under pressure from Alessandro Bastoni. Although play initially continued, a VAR intervention led the referee to the pitchside monitor, where he subsequently awarded the spot-kick. The decision was met with widespread derision at the time, and Barella clearly believes that the ripple effect of that single decision proved decisive."
Inter Milan suffered a shocking 5-2 aggregate defeat to Norwegian club Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League knockout play-offs, an unexpected result for the Italian favorites. Midfielder Nicolo Barella blamed the elimination on a controversial penalty awarded to Liverpool in December during the league phase. Barella argued that a contentious late penalty decision involving Florian Wirtz and Alessandro Bastoni cost Inter a crucial point that would have secured a top-eight finish, allowing them to bypass the knockout play-offs entirely. Without that penalty, Inter would have avoided the additional matches and the trip to Norway. Barella expressed frustration with the new Champions League format and its consequences.
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