Nicolo Barella curiously appeared to point the finger at a Liverpool player following Inter Milan’s shock Champions League exit to Norwegian underdogs Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday night. After beating Atletico Madrid and Manchester City during the initial league phase, Bodo/Glimt have now passed their biggest test yet by defeating last season’s finalists 5-2 on aggregate.
The result came after the minnows - whose domestic campaign ends in November due to the harsh Arctic winter conditions - stunned Inter with a 3-1 home win before edging a 2-1 victory in the second leg at the iconic San Siro. 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 final whistle, a frustrated Barella gave credit to the Norwegians but also pointed to a key incident from their league-phase clash against Liverpool as a reason to feel aggrieved by how Inter's European campaign has crumbled before them.
Barella Slams Florian Wirtz Penalty Incident as Inter Crash out of UCL
Florian Wirtz vs Inter Milan
"We tried, but they were better," the Italian midfielder began, before wasting no time in bringing up an incident that took place in Inter's 1-0 home loss against the Premier League champions back in December. He continued, as per GOAL:
"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."
Back in December, the decision to award Liverpool a late spot-kick after Florian Wirtz was brought down in the area was widely criticised. 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 rewatched 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. In the end, that proved to be the difference between the Italian giants qualifying directly for the Champions League knockouts and requiring an extra playoff match, which became their eventual undoing.
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Inter Milan's Champions League Misfortune Continues
Bodo/Glimt vs Inter Milan
Having reached two of the previous three Champions League finals - losing 1-0 to Manchester City when Pep Guardiola was on course for a historic treble in 2023, and then by a record-breaking 5-0 margin to Paris Saint-Germain last time out - it now appears much of Inter Milan’s progress towards building a side capable of continental dominance has come apart at the seams following Simone Inzaghi’s departure over the summer.
Were the Nerazzurri simply overperforming in tournament football? With Inter currently sitting top of the Serie A table, 10 points clear of neighbours AC Milan, there is reason to believe the defeat to Bodo/Glimt could be a one-off. But that does little to mask the reality that they have not maximised their opportunities in Europe’s premier competition over the past decade, and they look further away than usual from lifting their first big-eared trophy since 2010.