Midfielder Nicolo Barella has apologized after accusations that he had taken a dive during Inter Milan’s Serie A win over Genoa last week.
The 27-year-old spoke to Italian broadcaster DAZN after Inter’s victory over Bologna this evening, via FCInterNews.
Inter midfielder Barella was at the centre of a controversial incident during Monday’s match between Inter and Genoa.
During that match, the Nerazzurri won a penalty.
The goal that came from the spot proved to be decisive in a 2-1 win for Inter.
However, replays suggested that the penalty should not have been given. The challenge by Genoa midfielder Morten Frendrup on Barella looked to be a fair one, as certain angles clearly showed that the Norwegian won the ball.
Moreover, there was a suggestion that Barella’s reaction to the challenge influenced the referee’s decision.
The Italian international rolled theatrically on the ground after the challenge.
Whilst there was some contact from the Genoa player, the reaction did appear disproportionate.
Nicolo Barella Apologizes For Excessive Reaction In Inter Win Vs Genoa
Barella admitted that “It wasn’t my intention to dive. But the way I reacted to the challenge probably wasn’t right.”
“I want to apologize for that moment,” he added.
“On the pitch, you want to win,” Barella said. “Sometimes you do things you don’t want to do.”
And of the team’s win over Bologna this evening, the Inter midfielder said that “Massive credit has to go to Bologna.”
“They deserve their position in the table,” he continued.
“They’ve made this one of the hardest away grounds to play at.”
“But we had the right attitude and we suffered, so we won. You can’t always play well, but we won and we’re happy.”
Of his relative lack of goals this season, Barella said that “I can’t seem to find the back of the net anymore. But that’s fine, as long as we keep winning.”
“Tonight we didn’t play well,” he added. “But that’s okay, because Bologna are a very tough team to play against.”
