Benatia ‘disgusted’ by ref’s pen call
MEDHI BENATIA blamed English referee Mike Oliver for ruining his side’s hopes of a fairytale Champions League comeback.
The Italian champions were leading 3-0 at Real Madrid and seconds away from taking the quarter-final into extra time.
But in injury time the Moroccan defender was adjudged to have fouled Lucas Vazquez, with Cristiano Ronaldo then netting the penalty that took the Spanish side through.
Raging Benatia said: “I’m proud of our comeback but I am more and more disgusted by this world of football.
“What I say might sound harsh but when you make an effort like we did a referee can’t be allowed to award a penalty in the 93rd minute and torpedo our hopes.
“The game should have gone to extra time. If I had committed a foul I would have said so honestly.”
Replays showed Benatia appeared to make contact with Vazquez, although the defender maintained it was not enough for a foul.
He added: “I did everything I could not to touch him. After all, football remains a contact sport. So it’s possible my thigh touched him but I never gave him a push or anything.
“It’s bad, it’s disgusting, but that’s life, that’s football.”
Juve keeper Gianluigi BY CARL ASKEW Buffon – who was sent off for protesting Oliver’s decision – also had a go at the English official.
The Serie A leaders’ skipper said: “The referee lost the plot, I accept that. I won’t accept that a referee is in charge of a game like this with two such high-profile teams and doesn’t have the character, courage or ability to make calm decisions.
“He was clearly unprepared. Giving a penalty like that after a memorable match, sending off someone who has never been red-carded for dissent in his life in my final game, is simply not acceptable.”
But Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri was keen to draw a line under the incident with his side four points clear in Serie A with seven games remaining.
He said: “There’s no use crying about it.
“We’re disappointed but we need to get that out of our system because we’re back in league action on Sunday against Sampdoria.”